Stranded
by Hypermind
Summary: A vacation for Zootopia's two finest officers turns into a struggle for survival. Now stranded on an unknown island in the middle of nowhere, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps must do everything they can to survive as they plan for their rescue, or their escape, from the strange island they find themselves on.
1. Prologue

_**Stranded**_

 **Chapter 0: Prologue**

 _Vacation._

A simple word that, to many, could only mean pleasant times were coming. All that it implied, a time to relax, have fun; see the sights of lands near and far. Yes, a word that many would often look forward to hearing. A word that brought nothing but smiles to many stressed and overworked souls. Even more so if it were to be accompanied by the fact that it was an all-expenses paid cruise. A free vacation. Pure bliss…

If Nick could do so, he would be laughing at that thought…if he could think about something other than staying alive. The fox could only make due with trying to get his bearings, but being tossed around in tumultuous sea water, paired with the muffled booming of thunder from being submerged, made doing so an impossible task.

Attached to him, by means of tied life jackets, Judy did her best to do the same in trying to figure out which way was up or down. She succeeded less so than her partner, the little rabbit's mind going into a panicked overdrive as the events that led to this madness flashed before her eyes.

It had happened all too fast. Waking to the sudden jostling of the cruise liner as it rode out the freak storm. Then the alert that the ship had hit something, not even certain of what was struck, and that it was now sinking. Then they had assisted the ship's crew in directing vacationers to the life boats. And the last thing they did was put on their life jackets, tied together at the buckles with a simple single knot.

That last act. The act of tying themselves to one another. That was the single most important thing the two officers could've done, for they found themselves overboard from another sudden jerk caused by a massive wave colliding with the ship's broadside. A moment of screaming lost within the thunder and rushing water. A sudden splash, followed by equally sudden darkness, submerged in the murky depths below…

Neither of them could really tell how long they were in the water. It was fortunate that at random points they suddenly found themselves above the surface, taking strained lungfuls of air before being taken under once more. The torrential force of the waves as they crashed in on the pair kept them conscious, much to their dismay.

For Nick, being forced to stay conscious was a blessing in disguise, gripping onto his partner tightly, terrified at the thought of losing her in the chaos. It was amazing he was able to do so despite how weak the rest of him felt. But the fear kept him focused on at least holding on to her, he would be damned if he lost her here.

Judy tried her best to snap out of her panicked state, but with each wave that came down on them she could only pray that it wouldn't be the wave to do them in. She was begging to whatever forces were at work that they would end up on solid ground, alive and intact. But it was as if the sea was torturing them, holding the two prisoners locked in a cage of despair. The thought of death loomed overhead along with the dark and ominous clouds. Each flash of lightning allowed the two to bear witness to furious waters, the horizons devoid of any land; cruelly teasing them and dashing any hopes they might've had that this ordeal would soon come to an end.

Nick closed his eyes, clutching onto Judy as best as he could. In this moment, the waterlogged fox managed a single instance of clarity, the fear replaced with hopelessness. He had but one grim thought.

' _This is it; this is how it ends for us, drowned from trying to enjoy a vacation!'_

The thought was dashed immediately as his grip on Judy loosened. She let out a scream just as they were above water, causing Nick to snap out of it in time to keep his hold. The fear returned, the fear of losing the rabbit he called his partner. The rabbit he had come to love. Clarity came to him again, his resolve renewed and refusing to falter. Another thought came to him, this time entirely opposite to his previous thought just mere seconds ago.

' _No! I want to live! I want her to live! We're going to get out of this! We're-'_

The thought never finished as the pair collided against the surface of something. They assumed they had just flopped hard onto an oncoming wave…but then why weren't they underwater anymore?

Nick looked up weakly whilst coughing and wheezing. Everything around him was a blur, and despite his night vision, his eyes could not focus on anything in the darkness that surrounded them. He could only make out smudges of distorted colors, silhouettes of what appeared to be trees and other forms of vegetation or perhaps rocks. He looked to his side; Judy was there much to his relief, the landing having caused her to be stunned as her eyes rolled around weakly. He placed a paw against her soaked head as she coughed, watching her as she winced from the crushing sensation of having the wind knocked out of her. She slumped over as waves rolled by them, gently carrying them further inward to what Nick could only assume to be land at this point. The fox took his paw off his partner's head, placing it on the soaked ground between them, grabbing a pawful of grey, muddy sand. Land…what luck…what incredibly dumb luck.

They survived, against all odds, by sheer luck they were placed on an island.

And with that, like his partner, Nick slumped over, closing his eyes to join Judy in her unconsciousness. The relief washed over him much like the waters that came up to them every few seconds. They were safe…for the moment.

 **A/N: I don't do Fanfics…but for Zootopia, I happily make an exception. This is effectively my first Fanfic, EVER. A few reviews and some pointers would be much appreciated!**


	2. Awakening

**Chapter 1: Awakening**

It was the early hours of the morning and the sun was only beginning to peek out from the horizon. The golden rays cast itself amidst the clouds, painting the sky in vibrant yellow which cascaded into rich blues. A sunrise that soon cast its light on a pair of mammals resting on a lonely beach. Survivors to a tragedy, a rabbit and a fox, famous ZPD officers Judy Hopps and her partner Nick Wilde.

Nick was the first to stir from his slumber as pain seeped into every inch of his battered body. He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but he could tell it hadn't been long. He groaned while trying to get off his left side, stopped by the sensation of being tethered to something. Opening his eyes slowly, his vision adjusts to let him see a still sleeping Judy. He looked to see that he was still tied to her. The recollection of the perilous trial they faced returning to him in bits and pieces. Sighing and wincing, he attempted to undo the buckles to his life jacket. Every movement was strenuous, his muscles screaming at him to stop everything and to be still. He ignored the pain to finally get the jacket unbuckled and slipped out of it.

Standing up was to be his second greatest accomplishment next to waking this morning it would seem. His legs could only shake as he struggled to even get on one knee. Slowly and steadily he managed to stand, albeit with the painful protest of his muscles.

Nick still had on a bright yellow raincoat with his signature lime green tropical shirt and tan khakis underneath. Both articles of clothing were tattered and already had a few holes in them, as well as still being damp. His fur was a disheveled mess with sand caked onto half of his body. Against the wishes of his sore body he shook himself off and removed the coat. He homed in on the sounds before anything else; his eyes clamped shut from pain. The sounds of a gentle breeze accompanied by waves washing over sand and rocks were the initial noises to greet him.

The worn fox opened his eyes as slowly as everything else he had done for the past few minutes. He still struggled to see past even a few feet ahead, vision returning to him after a few blinks and he could finally make out his surroundings. The early light of the sun beamed down on the long stretch of sandy beach. He didn't know what he expected since he knew he would be looking at sand and trees.

What surprised him, however, was the sheer size of the island they had washed up on. He peered out along the shores and barely made out where the beach ended in the distance. He then faced away from the sea, staring with his mouth agape and wide eyed bewilderment at the jungle before him. He thought the rainforest district had some impressive trees, but they were nothing compared to the dense wall before him, each tree being nearly twice the height and thickness of the trees back in the city.

By this point, Judy began to stir as well, groaning much like her partner had done on his awakening. Steadily she brought herself to sit upright. She shook her head, clutching the left side of her head in a futile effort to stifle the headache that resonated in her skull. Grumbling, she undid the life jacket and chucked it next to Nick's. A sharp pain pierced her right shoulder causing her to grip the spot, wincing and sucking in air.

Nick turned to the noise, seeing his partner had awoken…and was clearly in pain.

"Judy! Y-you ok?!" he asked with worry in his voice as he rushed to her side, completely disregarding his own aches and kneeling to inspect her shoulder.

"I-I'm fine, Nick…I think…I think I might've landed on my shoulder last night" she explains, recalling the moment they had hit the beach. She noted that Nick had addressed her by name, something he only really did when he was being serious or showing concern. She looked to him with a weak smile to try and ease that concern. "Hey, don't go worrying about me, I'm tougher than I look," she remarked while getting up on her feet. She had on her own raincoat and under that was her pink flannel top paired with light blue jeans, also within a state of disrepair much like Nick's attire. After ditching her raincoat, she unveiled her shoulder to find that it was bruised lightly. "See? Nothing serious," she assured him with a soft laugh, trying her best to hide how much it was actually hurting her.

"You're lying to me, Carrots, I know how tough you are but that doesn't mean you can't get hurt…come on, I'll make you a sling," he offered as he reached down to grab the life jackets.

Judy couldn't really argue with the fox, he knew her too well and didn't protest as he worked. Using his claws he tore out some of the excess straps on the life jackets. He then tore off his sleeves and tied the fabrics to the straps. Nick handed her the makeshift sling to which she gratefully accepted.

"Thanks…what about you though?" she asked, seeing her partner was shaking under his own weight.

"Just sore…really sore…probably because I was trying to keep hold of you in that shit-storm," he stated, sitting down to face the sea.

Judy nodded, remembering clearly how Nick had held her while fighting the force of the waves. Had he let go, the straps would not have been enough to keep them together. She sat beside him, staring out to sea with him.

The pair sat their quietly, sighing in unison. They felt they should've been panicking, but either lacked the energy to do so or were too relieved to just be alive. Both ways panicking wouldn't have done any good and they knew it.

Judy broke the silence between them. "So…any idea where we are?" she asked while rubbing her aching head.

Nick shrugged before replying. "Nope…all I know is…that wherever we are…at least the view is nice…" he stated, watching the sun come up ever so slowly.

"We were incredibly lucky to land here, huh?" Judy added on, chuckling to herself.

"Yea, at least we didn't land on those rocks over there" Nick pointed out to his left. Sure enough, just fifteen feet from where they had landed was a row of various rocks, some of which jutted out menacingly with sharp points.

The thought of what could've happened sent shivers down the rabbit's spine, causing her to curl in on herself, resting her head against her knees. "Yea…but that wasn't what I meant…I meant we were lucky to have landed anywhere at all," she stated while keeping her gaze on the sunrise. "I was just…so certain that we were going to drown…" she added, her voice growing weak.

Nick placed a paw on her back, nodding in agreement to her statement. _'Had we given up hope and let the waves take us…'_ Nick shook his head, not wanting to dwell on that thought.

Another moment of silence passed, broken this time by a low rumbling. Nick looked down at his exposed belly, realizing the sound was coming from his gut. Judy giggled upon hearing the noise, stopping when she realized her own stomach was begging for sustenance.

The pair looked at each other before breaking out into small laughter. Nick stood up with less effort than before as he grew accustomed to the soreness, stretching to let his back pop. He looked to his partner, smiling and offering a paw to help her up. "Well Carrots, for now I suggest we work on getting something to eat, then we can worry about…well, whatever it is we need to do," he says while looking around.

Judy nodded at the suggestion; they were going to need all the energy they could get before working out a way off the island. Then came a small sound from behind her…

 _Ssssss…_

The noise was rather sudden and the two looked to the source. It was the sound of sand shifting, and from the beach a crab had surfaced. Nick stared at the small crustacean as it teetered off away from them.

"…Well then, I guess I'll be having crab for breakfast," he looked to Judy, "as for you Carrots, there's a palm tree over there, and I can see some coconuts on it," he suggested, looking behind him to a large palm tree in the distance. From where they stood the tree was obviously bearing fruit, and within the pods were certainly the sweet drupes.

"Yeah, that could be tasty…just need to work out a way to get them down," she said while tapping her lips and shifting the arm resting in the sling.

Nick chuckled as he looked back at the slowly escaping crab before meeting Judy's eyes again. "Tell you what Carrots, I'll help you with the coconuts after I catch that little morsel, you work on getting-"

"Something to start a fire?" she added, finishing his sentence to which he nodded with a chuckle.

"We have a plan?" Nick asked while stretching some more.

"We have a plan." Judy confirmed, walking towards the palm tree.

"We'll rendezvous at that palm tree." Nick finished before following the crab, breaking into a jog.

And thus began their day. Despite all that had happened, they took it all in stride. They knew that they had to survive for now before planning for their rescue. What's done is done. That was the fact of the matter and it only confirmed that their lack of distress was simply out of relief of being alive. They were alive. So they were going to make sure to keep it that way.

 **A/N: This story was inspired by several things, some of which include** _ **Lost, Gulliver's Travels,**_ **and** _ **Castaway.**_ **Expect some…strange things to occur in upcoming chapters.**


	3. Matters of Size and Mortality

**Chapter 2: Matters of Size and Mortality**

Judy walked along the beach as Nick went off to catch his breakfast, heading to the edge of the jungle. She thought it best to not try and go into the dense thicket and kept to picking up small twigs and branches along the border where dirt and sand met. A pile had soon formed near the palm tree that her and Nick were supposed to meet back at. Judy looked thoughtfully at the pile, considering what else would be needed. She figured some stones to make a pit would be a good start, but the rabbit knew she was forgetting something important and thought carefully.

"Oh! Tinder, duh!" she exclaimed as she began looking for something dry to light up eventually.

Judy examined the palm tree, noting the way the bark was peeling. She tore out some of the twisting bark then took note of the tree itself. It hadn't occurred to her until she was in front of the tree that it was unusually tall for a palm tree and she certainly didn't expect it to be so wide around. She placed her paw on the dense trunk as she paced around it. Then she looked up to see the coconuts, curious as to what they would be like considering the strangeness of the tree.

Judy reared back before charging, giving the tree a solid kick towards its base. It barely rustled. She huffed but refused to be defeated. She reared back more delivering another, more powerful kick, this time with both feet. It shook but did not yield any of its fruit. The rabbit frowned up in annoyance, this time making a considerable amount of distance. With a mighty shout she ran at the tree, kicking off the ground and attempting to strike the tree a quarter of the way up from the base. Both of her feet connect and she kicks off of it, landing not-so gracefully as her arm forced her off balance. Still she landed on her feet while teetering backwards. Looking up the shaken tree, she finally sees a single fruit come down. Victory was hers as she smiled triumphantly.

"Alright, come to-"

 **THOOM!**

The rabbit shielded her eyes at the sand that flew up from the landing of the coconut. Slowly she brought herself to see what had fallen as the dust settled. Her eyes grew wide. She approached the fallen fruit slowly, her mouth slightly agape.

"…Sweet cheese and crackers…"

She knew coconuts were supposed to be rather large while in its husk…but even she knew that it wasn't supposed to be this large. The fruit was as large as she was and easily twice her mass. Hesitantly, Judy brought herself to grab the stocky stem of the oversized monster of a coconut and pulled it from its crater. She could hear the liquid sloshing around in the hollow cavity in its center.

Judy dragged the massive coconut next to the pile of firewood she had gathered and then sat in front of it. She was still trying to make sense of the thing she was looking at. She even pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. No, it was real, it was definitely real. She was definitely sitting in front of a giant coconut.

"Ok!" she exclaims again to no one particular. "This island has…giant…coconuts…that's not a bad thing, I mean, look at you! You're huge! That means more food for us!" she adds on with a nervous laugh.

It took her a moment to realize that she was starting to talk to the coconut. She slaps her forehead.

"Ugh, Nick…please come back soon before I lose any more of my sanity…"

* * *

Nick kept his focus on the crab ahead as it skittered off at full speed. It surprised him just how fast it was despite how small the creature is. Probably no bigger than a cell phone. As he continued his pursuit, he contemplated on how it would even taste. If anything he would've liked it to be a soft-shell, something that had only recently molted, then at least he could eat the whole thing. The fox licked his lips, driven by the incessant rumbling in his stomach.

Nick leapt at the fleeing crab, trying his best to ignore his soreness in his chase. The sand made for a somewhat soft landing having missed the crab. It didn't help that the sand made getting any speed difficult. Not only that, but the uneven terrain also allowed the crab to easily outmaneuver him.

Frustration reigned as Nick got up growling from both his throat and empty stomach. His soon to be breakfast was making a fool of him and he wouldn't stand for it. His anger only grew as the crab dug back into the sand.

"Oh no you don't!" Nick shouts as he dives into the spot the crab retreated to. He dug furiously, panting as sand flew in all directions. He soon felt his paw grip something smooth and hard. "Ha! Gotcha you little-"

 _Pffssh_

Nick looked to the sudden noise, seeing two oddly shaped black lumps poking out from the sand before him. He looked at the lumps quizzically, observing them carefully. His ears drew back to his head, eyes widening when the two black lumps moved. He realized what they were…they were eye stalks.

The sand shifted abruptly, causing Nick to let go of whatever it was he was holding and to back away quickly. Dust kicked up, the sound of sand falling and loud clicking emanated from the spot. The cloud settled and Nick stared in disbelief at what had surfaced.

It was a crab…a crab nearly three times his size.

Silence fell and both Nick and the crab stared at each other as the smaller crab that the fox chased earlier surfaced as well, fleeing from the stand-off. He stared down at the beastly crustacean before him while backing away. The crab clicked its massive claws it held close to its body, each one of its pincers being as large as the fox. It raised its claws holding them outward and raising its body.

Nick had angered the beast.

He screamed turning tail just as the crab began chasing him. The smaller crab must've been the larger crab's child or perhaps sibling. Either way the tables had turned on Nick and he frantically fled while holding a steady scream.

 _Snap!_

Nick felt a pincer just barely graze the tip of his tail, making him yelp and clutch his tail as he continued his escape. He dared not look back and focused on the length of beach ahead.

 _Snap!_

This time he could feel the pincer missing his shirt. It was gaining on him. His body screamed with him, his sore muscles wanting him to slow down. Adrenaline alone was keeping him going. His mind raced in a futile attempt at devising some way out of the mess he was in. Each time the death vice of the crab missed him only caused him to forget any plan he could've made. One idea finally pushed through, and with all his might he screamed.

" **CARROOOOOTS!"**

* * *

" **CARROOOOOTS!"**

Judy snapped out of her trance, having fixated herself to ponder on how the coconut was so massive. Her ears shot up as she looked to the direction of the scream.

' _That sounded like Nick!'_ she thought, darting off from the ground and towards the screaming.

It didn't take her long to find him, stopping as she saw the panicked fox running towards her.

"Nick?! W-what's-"

" **Don't talk, RUN!"** Nick interrupted her, as he ran by her.

A split second was all Judy had to see her partner's pursuer; a large shelled creature practically galloping sideways towards them. With her own scream she turned and ran alongside Nick. "Nick! What is that?!" she asked frantically, peeking back every few seconds.

"It's a fucking crab, what does it look like?!" Nick shouted his tone full of irritation.

"Why is it huge?!" She had only recently accepted the mysterious giant coconut, now completely baffled by the beast chasing them. "Crabs can't be that big!" She shouted.

"Tell that to the crab!" Nick retorted feeling a pincer miss him again.

The two continued their running and screaming, the crab keeping either of them from separating as it attempted to catch them. Soon they found themselves approaching the palm tree. Judy looked ahead, her eyes widening as she formed a plan.

"Nick! We need to make it to that tree!"

"Wha-Why?!" Nick asked with a shout.

"Just do it!" she shouted back, looking up at the palm tree.

Judy looked back briefly as Nick ran past the tree. She stopped abruptly, turning to face the oncoming guillotine as she held her ground. Nick stopped to look back once he realized his partner was no longer next to him. He looked on with horror upon seeing Judy face down the colossal crab. He screamed out in protest.

"Judy, **NO!** "

Time seemed to slow down for the rabbit as she saw the massive claw come down on her. In the last second, she launched herself upwards while holding her legs close to her body. The pincer came up short on crushing down on the rabbit and lodging itself to the tree instead. Judy brought down her legs, both of her feet coming down to crush the joint along the massive clawed arm. Kicking off, she rolled directly under the crab, tumbling forward until she was on its other side. She winced at the stinging sensation in her shoulder. The crab looked to the rabbit and attempted to chase after her only to be stopped due to its claw still being stuck to the tree. The sudden jerking allowed the chain reaction the clever rabbit had planned to come into effect as a massive coconut came down on the crab.

 _Clonk!_

Judy and Nick winced at the sound, peeking to see the aftermath. At first it seemed as though nothing had happened, the tenacious crab merely standing there.

 _Crack!_

A hairline fissure formed on the carapace, starting from the edge of its shell in between its eye stalks down to its rear. Again it stood still, the pair watching in anticipation. The crab began to foam at its mouth, signaling that it was suffocating on something. It occurred to them soon after what it was suffocating on as the white bubbles turned to an inky dark blue. Its blood. Grim as it was, it was choking on its own blood. The crab shook and hissed while spurting blue blood from its foaming mouth, the hissing breaking up as though it were coughing. Judy looked on, horrified as she watched it die. Finally, the large crab collapsed, toppling forward with a mighty thud. It ceased its movement soon after.

They stared at the crab in horrified silence. Nick slowly walked around the crab, not once looking away from it, his body facing it the whole time. He stood by Judy, who looked at the creature with pity in her eyes. Even despite the fact it had tried to kill them mere seconds ago she still couldn't help but feel sorry for the creature. Nick looked to her, seeing the expression in her eyes.

"C-carrots?"

She turned to her partner who looked back at her with worry. "I…I-I killed it," she stated as she began to shake, the adrenaline dying down.

Nick looked back at the fallen beast, putting an arm around her. "Well, i-it might not be dead…it could just be-"

 _Crack!_

The pair jumped at the sudden noise. Another coconut had fallen, this time caving in the shell from the crack that had formed earlier. They stared wide eyed at the scene before looking at each other. Judy began to tear up; her plan had worked, but a little too well. "I d-didn't mean for it to die, I just-I thought it might stun it!" she tried to reason as she placed her free paw over her mouth.

Nick did his best to console her, holding her gently and letting his partner bury her face into the fur on his chest. "Carrots…Judy…you did nothing wrong, that thing would've killed us at any given chance…" he explained to her in the most comforting tone he could offer. He held her tightly while being careful not to touch her shoulder. "You saved us," he added.

Judy sniffled in the embrace, wiping her eyes and looking up. "It was just protecting that smaller crab you were chasing…wasn't it?" she asked but not so much out of accusation.

Nick winced knowing she was probably right about that. "…Yeah…that's more than likely it." He replied hesitantly, turning to look at the large crab. "I'm sorry…I made you have to do something you were never meant to do," he apologized while sitting down, burying his face into his paws. Being a prey, especially a rabbit like her, meant she had no instinct in killing for her food and he regretted having brought her into the mess of dealing with the monster crab.

Judy sat beside Nick, biting her lip and placing her paw on his shoulder. "No…you need to eat something…I can't honestly expect you to survive off of just fruits and vegetables," she stated while looking at the crab. "If…if this is something I have to do to make sure you get some kind of protein then…I'll accept it," she added, wiping her eyes once more.

"You won't have to do this, I promise you, I'll do it myself next time…I don't want you to have to do anything you don't want to, that you're not…meant to do," Nick replied as he took her paw in his.

"Nick…I _want_ you to live…that's what I want and if helping you get some kind of meat does just that, then it _is_ what I'm meant to do," she returned, squeezing his paw lightly.

Nick smiled warmly at her, appreciating her concern. "Sly bunny…"

"Dumb fox…don't go thinking for a second that I'm not willing to do whatever it takes to help you survive," she finished, resting her head on his shoulder.

The two look at the corpse of the crab for a few more minutes, still bewildered before deciding that it wasn't wise to waste any further daylight. Nick approached the body, lifting the coconut from the crater and setting it aside with the other two. He carefully worked each of the joints, dismantling the crab's arms and legs.

Judy watched at first and then turned her attention to the coconuts. Finding a sharp rock she began the task of removing the husk. As expected, the drupes underneath were still relatively large, being half her size.

They began processing the food for their meals. Judy started a fire while Nick prepared a claw to be spit roasted. They found a creative use for the other claw, working as a team to split one of the coconuts within the pincer. By the time they had accomplished their mission of preparing a meal, judging the position of the sun, Nick assumed it was already lunch time.

"Well, so much for not wanting to miss breakfast," he remarked, sighing as he turned the massive claw on the spit.

Judy placed a few large coconut pieces at the edge of the fire, hoping to roast them to bring out the flavor. "Yeah, well at least we'll be eating something…and besides, we have plenty of food here, I'm sure we'll have more than enough left over for a proper breakfast tomorrow morning," she replied cheerfully, her optimism returning with full force. That optimism was just one of the many reasons Nick came to love Judy. He chuckled and nodded in agreement.

When the food was finally ready they dug in enthusiastically. Nick pulled out large chunks of crab meat with his teeth, chewing with his mouth open to keep from burning his tongue. Judy bit down on the lightly browned coconut flesh, giving an approving nod of the sweet treat. They ate loudly, forgoing any and all manners, too hungry to really care.

Both let out a satisfactory sigh, having gorged themselves on the oversized food. Nick couldn't even finish the whole claw, tying some leaves to the gaping hole of where the joints would meet to preserve the flesh still inside. In the end, only half of just one of the coconuts was used. The other half still had coconut meat and juices, to which they shared when they realized they had no source of clean drinkable water yet.

They poked at each other's jutting bellies, laughing and joking to various fat and pregnant jokes.

"Huh…I bet Clawhauser would think this was paradise," Nick remarked, setting down the large claw on top of some leaves where he had stacked the other bits of food.

"Yeah, no kidding, I bet he would've finished that whole crab by himself," Judy replied with a giggle.

"And the coconuts," Nick added.

"All in one sitting," Judy topped off, the pair laughing at the thought of Clawhauser's face to all the food he would've had for basically free.

They rested against the palm tree, sitting carefully to avoid being near any possible landing points. Half the day was already gone, and it was time for them to figure out where to go from where they were.

"…Shall we do the classic 'make a giant S.O.S out of stones' routine first?" Judy suggested while turning a stone she picked up.

Nick nodded, adding to it, "and we can put up some torches, make it visible in the dark."

The two passed suggestions and ideas to each other, getting up and gathering stones while they spoke to each other. Making a raft came up should the initial 'be rescued' plan flopped. Nick joked about Macgrrver-ing a flying machine, which earned him a playful punch to his arm. While in the final stages of making their giant S.O.S marker, the subject of shelter and resting for the night came up.

"What are we going to do about resting for the night? I mean…we've seen that this island has a lot of, y'know, 'giant things'," Judy pointed out. "We were lucky that we weren't attacked by anything last night, and we have all this food here now, I'm pretty sure something is going to want to come for it and probably us too," she continued while setting down the last of her stones.

Nick rubbed at his chin, contemplating the situation as he turned to Judy. "There's nothing we would be able to do really, we would just have to take turns sleeping and keep a lookout," he suggested. "And that would just leave the question of who would take first shift, and I know who," he says, the pair opening their mouths to answer.

"Me."

The response was in unison, and they looked at each other with conflicted expressions.

"Carrots, come on, let me have the first shift, you're hurt." Nick pointed out.

"Nick, it's because I'm hurt that I should take first shift, if you get exhausted taking it and then I take my turn, it would leave you too tired to help me if something should happen," she argued, continuing her explanation, "Think about it, if I'm well rested, what good is that?" she added while gesturing to her shoulder.

Nick thought about it carefully and there was little to deny that logic, if he was rested enough he would be able to do more. Still he was adamant, "you managed to take out that crab despite your shoulder."

No argument there, she did take it head on and succeeded. "I had that tree, if that wasn't there I wouldn't have been able to take it."

The argument went on with both sides giving solid reasons to let them take the first watch. Eventually Nick relented, seeing that arguing with Judy was an impossible feat. He sighs, nodding with a knowing smile. "Alright Carrots, you win, you can have first shift." He says in a mock defeated tone, ruffling her head.

She swatted his paw playfully, giggling. "I always win, dumb fox," she says triumphantly.

The sun was setting now and the two hurried back to their camp site. They hadn't managed to get torches ready and they decided to leave it be for now. Judy started another fire while Nick gathered large palm leaves to lay out as make shift beds. Using a few branches and some vines, he put together a small shelter and set the leaves under it.

The night crept in slowly as the two enjoyed another meal, the strange day finally ending. They sat there, side by side, gazing up to the clear night sky and into the ocean of stars. To Judy it felt nostalgic to her days back home in Bunnyburrow, sitting out in the fields with some of her siblings and watching for shooting stars. Nick, having never left the city, stared in amazement as a single word left his lips.

"Wow."

He never knew how beautiful the night sky was, the light pollution in the city making it impossible to see anything other than the lights from planes overhead. It was humbling to know that he had so much of the world yet to see and there was still a whole other frontier out there.

As they stargazed, Judy looked out at the darkened waters. "Do you…do you think anyone knows what happened out here yet?" she asked while curling up, resting her chin on her knees.

Nick looked back down with her, sighing. "I'm certain that the coast guard was at least notified."

Judy nodded, her ears drooping at her next thought. "…Do you think…all those other passengers...made it out alright?"

The fox wrapped an arm around his bundled rabbit, looking at her. "I won't lie to you and say they did…but hey, if we managed to survive without a boat, I'm sure they did too…" he said to her, again using his best comforting tone.

She nodded, placing a paw onto Nick's back. "You should get a head start on some sleep, I'll wake you up later," she suggested to him, standing up to get more firewood.

With a sigh Nick reclined onto the bed of leaves, resuming his gaze upon the starry night. Sleep came to him slowly, listening to the soft crackling of the fire. The first day had come and gone. Though seemingly undeterred by it, they knew that there were stranger things to come given they hadn't even explored the jungles yet. Nick shuddered at the thought of what could be there, hiding amidst the dense canopy.

They didn't know it yet, but they were going to find out, soon enough…as a pair of gleaming eyes in the trees watched them unnoticed.

 **A/N: I warned you all that strange things were to come. Also, I am in need of editors, if anyone is willing to work with me, please PM me.**


	4. Friendly Reception

**Chapter 3: Friendly Reception**

Nick tore his way through the dense vegetation of the overgrown jungle floor, following a familiar scream in the distance. The canopy overhead cast an ever-present darkness that Nick's night vision could not pierce. Still he ran, his breathing reduced to panicked gasps and panting.

"Nick!"

Judy's screaming reached the fox, echoing in his skull. He looked around frantically with eyes full of distress. She was so close and he still could not see her.

"Nick!"

He looked up, distress turning into despair as he saw his partner entangled in a giant spider web. The beast that spun the web slowly made its way down, plucking the threads of its snare. Judy looked to him with absolute terror in her eyes.

"Judy!" Nick screamed as he tried to move, finding that he couldn't. He looked to his own body, finding that he was being restrained by several thick strands of web. His eyes grew wide, matching the terror in Judy's. He looked back up to see that the massive spider was encasing his partner in a cocoon of threads. He continued to scream out in despair, thrashing violently to break free but instead becoming more entangled. Nick watched as the spider stopped spinning her…and bringing its fangs down on the cocoon. He cried out as he heard her scream one last time…

* * *

"Nick! Wake up!"

Nick's eyes shot open at the distressed voice of his partner, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. He jerked up, looking to find Judy staring at him with teary eyes and her paw over mouth. "Judy! You're alive!" He shouted whilst pulling her into a hug.

Judy looked at him in confusion, gasping at the sudden hug. "Y-yea, I am," she says, slowly hugging him back. She sniffled, causing Nick to break the hug to look at her.

"Judy, w-what's wrong?" he asked her, looking her over carefully to make sure he had in fact been dreaming.

"Nick, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so Sorry!" She replied, fighting back a sob.

Nick looked around, seeing the sun was up, it seemed to be late in the morning. His ears drooped upon realizing that he wasn't woken up to take over for the night watch. He returned to checking his partner, making sure she was alright. "Carrots, what happened?"

"I…I fell asleep…I'm so sorry, I messed up, I messed up hard!" she apologized, sniffling as tears streamed down her face.

Nick shook his head as he brought her into a hug. "Hey hey, come on, it's ok, shhh don't cry Carrots," he told her while stroking her head. "We're fine, you're fine, no one got hurt, everything is alright!" Nick added enthusiastically.

"No it's not! I endangered us! And something took our food!" She exclaimed now completely sobbing.

The fox looked back to where the pile of food was wrapped up last night, seeing it was gone. He sighed as he turned back to Judy, still petting her. "Oh Carrots…that's not something to cry about." He stated, chuckling at her overreaction. "We can always get more food, and besides, you can't endanger us if we were never out of danger to begin with," he added whilst wiping her tears away.

"But…B-but I-"

"Was tired, you were exhausted I bet, I was that's for certain," he assured her, sighing with relief as he laid back down. He rubbed at his face. He was frustrated that the food was gone, yes, but there was definitely an abundance of it on this bizarre island.

Nick stared up at the morning sky, Judy joining him after she calmed down. She nestled herself next to her partner, sniffling and wiping the last of her tears away. "I'm still sorry," she said to him in a weak voice.

"Apology accepted, Carrots…but next time, don't give me a heart attack, alright?" he replied jokingly with a chuckle.

She let out a weak laugh. Admittedly, Nick's ability to be humorous in dark times wasn't as annoying as it usually was.

Nick sighed again and looked at her. "You must've been out cold, huh?" he asked her jokingly still, chuckling again.

"Yeah…I was supposed to wake you up and instead you woke me up," she replies.

"Wait, I woke you up?" he asked her, the joking tone gone.

Judy looked at her partner, nodding. "Yeah, you were screaming and-and shaking…you were even about to cry," she told him, her own tone changing to worry.

Nick nodded, rubbing his head as he stared into the sky. "Oh, that…I…I had a nightmare…" he said flatly while closing his eyes.

"Well I figured that…but…what was it? Was it that bad?" she asked while placing a paw to Nick's shoulder.

He nodded with a sigh. "We were in that jungle…and…I was following screams, your screams…I found you in a spider web, and you were about to be eaten by a spider as big as a house," he told her, shuddering upon seeing the spider's bite playing out in his head. He opened his eyes, clutching his chest, his heartbeat still panicked.

Judy shuddered with him, finding the thought to be gross and terrifying. More so with terror upon realizing that it was entirely a possibility if all life on this island was as massive as it has been. She resumed her gaze into the sky with her partner. "We are way too lucky to be alive right now," Judy stated, rubbing her own face.

Nick chuckled and nodded in agreement. "We managed to live through the night, kinda weird, huh? It's almost like something is watching over-"

The sentence never finished as the pair were greeted by the face of an unknown feline, looming over them with a wide smile. "Howdy y'all!" greeted the stranger in a girlishly squeaky tone.

Nick and Judy screamed reactively, scrambling to their feet and staring at the newcomer while screaming and holding each other. Silence fell as the two stared in confusion.

"Well aren't y'all just the jumpiest lil' critters?" remarked the stranger with a giggle, placing her paws on her hips.

The pair observed the cat as silence fell again. An ocelot, if they had to guess she was probably just a foot taller than Nick. Her clothes were tattered. The only real article of clothing she had on was what could only have been a tank top at some point, reduced to only covering the cat's chest with both straps tied up. Around her waist was a paw-made grass skirt which covered her up to her thighs. She had a wide smile with cheerful blue eyes staring back at the two.

Nick broke the silence, confusion still plastered on his face. "Who the hell are you?!" he shouted earning a look of shock from the ocelot and a punch to his arm from Judy.

"Nick, that was too rude!" Judy exclaimed. Despite asking the same question in her head, she would've done so a little more politely.

Nick turned to her with his eyes still wide with distress. "Rude?! Carrots, I am ok with you scaring me half to death. I am NOT ok with random strangers doing the same!" he retorted, flailing his paws around in gesturing motions.

"Well let me make myself less of a stranger then!" interjected the ocelot. She reached forward and enthusiastically shook Nick's paw, giving him no time to react. "Mah name's Ocelynn, but everyone calls me Lynn back home so y'all can do the same!"

Nick took his paw back from the manic pawshake, backing away from the cat. Never in his life did he think he would find anyone who was more perky, more bubbly and overflowing with optimistic cheer than Judy. It scared him to know that that was ever a possibility. Despite this, he gave a weak smile. "H-hi" he managed to greet back, albeit just as weak as his smile.

Judy calmed down upon realizing the cat meant no harm, managing to greet her back as well. "Hello, um, Lynn? I-I'm Judy, this is my partner Nick," she says while holding out her paw from her good arm to be shook. She regretted the decision almost immediately as Lynn grabbed hold of her small paw and shook it frantically.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet both y'all nice folks!" Lynn stated while still shaking Judy's paw. The rabbit sighed with relief when the cat finally let go of her. The cheerful cat spoke fast and with unending energy. "Boy howdy, let me tell ya, it's just been so long since I seen any other mammals on this here island and-I'm just so excited, I think I might wet my britches! Well, if I had on britches, but I don't, see, but I got this cute lil' grass skirt on," Lynn stated, rocking her hips side to side quickly to emphasize the rustling of her skirt.

She had only begun to speak and Nick was already starting to get a headache trying to keep up with Lynn's squeaky fast-talking. _'Geez this girl has a mouth on her'_ he thought to himself, smiling still to hide his disdain as the cat continued.

"Anyhow, I can only guess y'all didn't come here on purpose what with y'all lookin' mighty messy," Lynn pointed out, much to their chagrin. "But hey, I can't be one to talk, right? Anyhow, Y'all folks hungry?" she asked with a wide grin. Before either of the pair had a chance to say anything, Lynn ran to a nearby jungle tree, climbing it with unnerving speed. A large bundle lands in front of the pair causing a dust cloud to form.

The two of them waved a paw in front of their faces, coughing while looking at what had fallen. It was the food that went missing. Judy stared at it in disbelief before looking up at the impossibly tall tree. _'How in this entire blue world did that cat get all this up there?'_ Judy wondered to herself, watching Lynn jump down from branch to branch and landing on her feet in front of them once more.

"Now see, y'all didn't know this, but keepin' y'all's food on the ground ain't a good idea, the ants might get em'," Lynn pointed out. "And let me tell ya, them lil' buggers are meeeeean, one of em' bit me this one time and mah foot swoll'up bigger than a breadbox!" she recounted enthusiastically.

Judy looked at the bundle, puzzled at Lynn's logic. "Uh…can't they climb the trees?" she asked while scratching her head.

"Yea, but they're less likely to take it from the tree is all I'm sayin'," she added on. "And as a extra bit of securimity, I put mah homemade repellant on the leaves y'all used to wrap this up!" she said while practically bouncing where she stood.

Nick kneeled down and picked up a leaf, sniffing it and reeling back in disgust. The repellant was strong, that was for certain, the scent practically drilling into his nostrils and ramming up to his brain. His stomach churned as he tossed the leaf. "You know what? I think I'm good for now," he stated, holding both paws up and backing away.

"Well, suit yerself, but don't worry, I have food at mah place too so if y'all get hungry later I can definitely feed y'all!" Lynn proclaimed cheerfully.

Judy shook her head as her own headache began to form. Snapping out of it, she realized something important. This cat, this ocelot, was a survivor. She looked at Lynn while shaking her head. "Ok ok, for just a second, please, just…stop talking!" She ordered the cat, sighing to collect her thoughts. "Lynn…you're a survivor here, right? You said it's been so long since you saw another mammal… so you weren't on the S.S. Purrseidon cruise line? How are you here then and when did you get here?" She asked sternly.

Lynn cocked her head to the side, perplexed by the question. "The S.S. what-now? That there name means it's a boat, right? No no, didn't get here by boat or nothin' on water fer that matter," she stated with a smile. "Nah, I'm a survivor of a plane crash, see, and that was so long ago, I don't remember how long neither," Lynn added on while scratching her head.

Judy nodded as she listened to Lynn. "Ok, that's alright, just needed to confirm that," Judy told her while picking up a piece of roasted coconut. "But, you've been on this island for a long time now, right? Did you come from the jungle back there?" She asked, snacking on the treat while listening to the response that followed.

"Yep yep! I heard a lot o' ruckus while I was out foragin' yesterday and I came to see. When I got here it was night and I saw y'all takin' a load off here on the beach!" Lynn exclaimed, pointing to Judy as she continued. "Then I saw you fall asleep and I thought I'd be a good neighbor and keep watch of y'all! Y'know, keepin' the bugs away, wrappin' up y'all's food and hidin' it, stuff like that!"

Nick looked at the cat with more confusion than before. "Wait…so…you protected us?" he asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Well, y'all are the only other mammals here, that's the honest truth, see, and I've been so alone, I thought if I did somethin' nice for y'all y'all would be mah friends!" She proclaimed excitedly.

Judy nodded at that, smiling gratefully at their night time guardian. Her ears drooped and her eyes widened at her next realization. "Wait, if you were watching us all night…you…you didn't sleep? At all?" she asked in her own disbelief. "How are you not tired?"

"Oh don't get me wrong sugah, I am dead tired right now, I might crash any-" her words stopped as she very abruptly fell face forward, her face buried in the sand with her rear sticking in the air.

The two looked at the cat blankly as snoring was heard. They looked at her with even greater confusion then when they met her. They immediately noticed something that just now became apparent. Her lack of a tail. Despite all of the answered questions, the pair had even more questions for the cat… For now they let their guardian catch some rest, sitting in front of her. It felt as if though things were only going to get stranger from here.

 **A/N: I have no clue how formatting works on this site, so if it says I updated it might not be with a new chapter.**


	5. Skepticism, Romanticism, and Giants

**Chapter 4: Skepticism, Romanticism, and Giants**

Nick and Judy stared in silence at the sleeping ocelot named Lynn. Judy quietly ate a piece of roasted coconut, her gaze never once breaking from the cat. Nick shifted uncomfortably where he sat while tapping on his knee. Suffice to say they were absolutely caught off guard by the forward feline. Yet they continued to sit, watching over her as she did for them during the night. It had been a full thirty minutes since Lynn had fallen asleep and the two wished desperately that they could wake her. They only refrained at the thought of having to be bombarded by more of the incessant rambling that she presented herself with.

Nick rubbed at his face, sighing impatiently. He leaned over to whisper at his partner. "It's not just me, right? This cat. She seems a little…screw-loose?"

Judy didn't want to admit it, but she definitely thought it. She nodded in agreement, continuing her watch on their slumbering visitor and eating in silence.

"You don't think that maybe…she's some kind of…y'know, mammal eating freak out here, do you?" Nick asked while looking to Judy.

She finally broke her gaze, looking to Nick with concern. She didn't think about it before, but now that it was brought up she couldn't help but ponder on the idea. "I…I don't think so…I hope it's not the case," she replied in whisper as she chucked her piece of coconut shell. "I mean, I've heard of primitive predator tribes that do that still, but she doesn't seem tribal, not to mention she said she got here by plane so she had to have come from some modern civiliza-"

"What're y'all talkin' 'bout?" came the cheerful and lightning fast voice of Lynn, her face mere inches from the pair.

They screamed while reeling back from the unpleasant surprise. Nick got up angrily, grumbling as he stood up. "Could you NOT do that?!" he scolded as Judy got to her feet as well, the rabbit rubbing her face in annoyance.

"I'm sorry there foxy, but y'all were having a convermasation and it sounded like somethin' fun!" Lynn replied as she got up on a handstand. Leaping backwards from her position, she flips in the air and lands on her feet. How the cat had so much energy after a thirty minute nap was beyond anyone's comprehension. She stretched while walking forward, joints all across her body giving a small yet satisfying pop. "Boy howdy, lemme tell ya, I love love loooooove naps! I can't get enough of 'em, 'specially durin' rainy days, or sunny ones, or cold ones, or-"

"Ok! Enough!" interjected Nick. "Look, we really appreciate what you did for us, really we do, but we have a whole day to try and work out a rescue plan, and the day is not getting any younger." said Nick harshly, earning himself another punch from Judy.

"Still too rude, Nick!" Judy hissed through clenched teeth. She turned to the fidgety and smiling ocelot with a sigh. "But really, yea, thank you Lynn," she added calmly while rubbing the back of her head. "Is there anything we can do to repay you?" she asked, catching nick rolling his eyes and punching him for the third time that morning.

Lynn tapped at her chin in thought, humming to herself. "Well I don't reckon there's anything I would want besides y'all's companionship!" she proclaimed as she walked around the pair in circles. The pair hadn't dismissed the idea of Lynn being a possible mammal eater. She might not have been tribal but the strange cat certainly seemed crazy enough and her constant wide eyed gaze was rather unsettling. "But I do reckon y'all are mighty fit, I take it y'all had some pretty active lives before comin' 'ere?" she asked while inspecting Judy's shoulder. "If'n y'all want to, y'all can come with me to my lil' abode in the trees!"

The rabbit nodded with a nervous smile. She didn't want to jump to conclusions about their protector, but the way she looked at her shoulder made it seem like she was scoping out weaknesses. "Uh, y-yeah, w-we're police officers so we have to stay in shape," she managed to stutter out, laughing nervously as Lynn drew her face closer to the shoulder. Nick kept watch of the ocelot's actions, his body ready to spring on her if she tried anything. Judy looked back at her partner as she continued. "Y-you see, we're the first rabbit and fox police officers from Zootopia and- AH!" the rabbit screamed as Lynn grabbed her arm along with her bad shoulder and jerked it upwards, causing the joint to make a series of loud pops. The scream was a mix of pain and fear that the cat was attacking her.

Nick lunged forward, tackling the cat to the ground. "What was that for!?" he questioned with a growl, pinning the cat while baring his teeth.

Lynn laughed as she was brought to the ground, looking up at the fox with a smile. "Oh don't worry sugah, I was just helpin' her!" she proclaimed with a wide grin.

Judy stared at the cat in confusion, swiveling her shoulder. _'Wait a minute…'_ she thought to herself. The pain in her shoulder hadn't gone away necessarily, but it was now a dull throbbing sensation. A step up from the constant stinging that it had been during her time spent awake. She shook her head and inspected her shoulder herself. "What…did you do?" she asked as she rubbed the sore spot.

"What is it Carrots?" Nick looked to his partner while keeping Lynn firmly pinned to the ground.

"Well, it looked a lil' outta place, so I just popped it back in!" Lynn giggled out.

Both Nick and Judy stared at the cat. "You did what?" they asked incredulously in unison.

At this point Nick had already gotten off of the cat and was backing away to stand by Judy. Lynn leapt up from her lying position, again standing within arm's reach of the pair. "Y'all heard me, I put her shoulder back, I done seen plenty o' dislocated joints and what have you to know how to put 'em back where they belong," the cat proclaimed. "Done it to mahself a few times too!"

The pair stood slack jawed, blinking with blank stares. Their visitor was getting stranger by the second. Judy snapped out of her bewilderment first. "Thanks…" her response was simple as she couldn't even figure out if there were any other appropriate reactions. She couldn't tell if the cat was just being genuinely friendly or trying to lure the two of them into a trap. She found it difficult to think the latter with all that she had done up to this point. Judy hoped she wouldn't regret her next decision. "You…said you had a shelter in the jungle?" she asked slowly.

Nick snapped from his trance, looking to Judy when he realized what it was she is implying to ask. His protest was stopped before it began by the elated Lynn.

"Yea! I gots me a place in the jungle! Nice and cozy all up in the trees, oh I'm sure y'all would love it there!" she said happily as she grabbed her two new companions by the paws and started pulling them towards the jungle. Despair overcame Nick as he was dragged along, trying to fight back the pulling. Judy fought less so, rather just wanting to walk at her own pace.

"Lynn, Lynn! Wait!" Nick finally yelled out.

The cat stopped to look at the fox. "What is it sugah?" she asked while walking backwards towards the dense thicket.

"Just…just hold on a second, alright? Carrots, a word if you will," Nick growled out while dragging his partner away. Once he was certain they were out of ear shot of the cat, he turned to Judy. "What are you thinking?" he asked angrily in a whisper. "This girl could be leading us to our deaths! We can't just trust her like that, we've only known her for like twenty minutes, tops! No, I am not going to count the half hour we spent watching her sleep," he hissed, his concern for their wellbeing evident in his tone.

"I know, but don't think I haven't thought it through!" Judy whispered back. "As of right now, she might be our best bet on surviving out here, and besides, if she turns out to be psycho we can take her, there's two of us, and only one of her!" she added whilst pointing to the cat…who was now next to them.

"One of who?" Lynn asked while looking at the finger pointed at her.

"Did no one ever teach you about privacy?!" Nick shouted, flailing his arms around in frustration.

The cheerful feline merely snickered at the fox's reaction. "Sugah, I live in the middle of a jungle with no one to talk to other then some bugs that don't even talk back, I done forgot what privacy is," Lynn pointed out with her paws on her hips, even her sass was cheerful. "Now y'all done chattin'? cuz it's gonna take a bit of a hike to get to mah place," Lynn added while walking backwards once more.

Nick looked to Judy, the rabbit in turn nodding to him as she took off her sling. With a defeated sigh he too nodded. "Fine, I guess we're doing this," he huffed flatly.

"Then stick close y'all! That there jungle is no walk in the park, if ya lose me you might get lost fer good!" she warned, still just as cheerfully but not making the thought any more pleasant.

With apprehensive stares, the two looked towards the jungle. They gulped as they began their trek, following Lynn closely. The day was only beginning and they were entering foreign land that was more than likely to be bristling with danger. In the confusion of it all, the pair completely forgot their S.O.S. marker, leaving it behind as their forms disappeared into the overgrowth.

The pair did their best to try and keep up with their new cat guide. They were left moderately surprised at how long she went without talking. The spell was broken as they made it about a mile into the thicket.

"Now y'all said y'all were cops, right?" She asked while looking back, skipping along the network of thick roots. Neither one of the two officers had the chance to confirm her claim as they climbed clumsily along the uneven terrain. "Funny, I didn't know that rabbits and foxes could join, let alone be partners and what not!" she exclaimed, getting an annoyed glare from the pair.

"Yes, well, we proved ourselves a year ago with a pretty serious case in the city," Judy claimed proudly.

"You might've heard of it, the infamous missing mammals and Night Howler conspiracy?" Nick added with equal pride as he puffed out his chest.

"Nope, can't say I have!" Lynn claimed back while somersaulting over a root arching off the ground.

The two looked at the cat in disbelief. Judy, however, took note of this and kept it clear in her mind. Whoever this cat was, she had been out here before her and Nick had solved the Night Howler case one year back. One year. Judy couldn't even think about what surviving one month on this crazy island was like.

"Seriously?" Nick asked with genuine surprise.

Lynn dropped herself upside down on another root arching out overhead, dangling from the thick root with her legs hooking over it. "Yep! I don't get any news out here!" she proclaimed before swiftly leaping off the root and onto a vine, subsequently swinging to a nearby boulder.

The two sped after her, even Judy's agility faltered in the unfamiliar territory. Nick looked up to the cat who was casually strolling atop the boulder and back down to the mossy jungle floor. Lynn turned to them as she continued walking backwards. "But I believe ya, y'all don't look much like liars," She said while cartwheeling along the trail.

Nick found himself getting dizzy trying to keep up with energetic cat. Not just in the sense of following her, but also in his wasted efforts on trying to comprehend anything she told them. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a sudden noise.

 **Thoom!**

The pair turned to the sound, seeing the cause with wide eyes. They were so enraptured in trying to figure out the strange ocelot that they had forgotten where they were. Atop the boulder they were next to moments ago sat a massive Hercules Beetle, easily the size of Judy's family tractor. The rabbit and the fox backed away slowly and quietly…

"BOO!"

Again the pair screamed, jumping at the sudden spook. They turned to find a laughing Lynn rolling around on the ground. "Ah ha haaa! Y'all should see the looks on y'all's faces!" teased the cat, struggling to breathe.

Nick was fuming. "What is your problem?!" he snapped as Judy tried to hold him back.

Lynn got up while wiping the tears that had formed from laughing so hard, sighing as she looked at the furious fox. "Oh don't get yer britches in a bunch sugah, that there beetle is harmless," she assured them. As if to prove her point, she walked up to the beast with a large rotten leaf picked from the ground. She gave it to the beetle and watched it munch away at it slowly. "See? It don't mean no harm!" she exclaimed, resuming her walk.

Nick would've been lying if he had said he wasn't impressed by the gutsy ocelot. Still he could only be angry at her. Here he was, genuinely scared for him and his partner, and this cat was making it a joke. "Ok then little Miss Jungle Queen, what SHOULD we be worried about?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, that there might be a good place to start," Lynn stated while pointing behind Nick. To which he shook his head.

"Ha, you think I'm gonna fall for-"

The fox was brought to duck down at the last second by his screaming partner. He was interrupted as a large blur of yellow and black zoomed by, kicking up dust on its path. The pair looked up to see the large beast continue its flight. A bee-like creature the size of a full grown camel.

"What the hell was that?!" Nick asked wide eyed.

"That there was a hornet," Lynn replied as she continued walking along. "Meanest of the bunch, them hornets, they like to pick on smaller critters, see, and not just other insects, but anything that moves really," she added while picking up Nick and Judy off the ground. "Don't get stung by 'em neither, I'm pretty sure just one of 'em suckers are enough to kill someone."

If Nick wasn't certain that this cat was trying to kill them before, he certainly did now. "Ok, we are turning around!" he stated while grabbing Judy by the arm. "Carrots, we are gone, we are outie, we are no longer in the building. Lynn, it was nice meeting yo-"

"Nick, stop that!" Judy protested, pulling her arm away. "We knew exactly what we were going to be getting into when we started following Lynn, and the fact of the matter is that we probably won't live long without some guidance which she can clearly provide," the rabbit pointed out while pointing to the aforementioned ocelot.

"Carrots, I get that we need help, but do we really need it from someone who would willingly put us in danger like this?" Nick barked, getting an incredulous look from his partner and an amused look from Lynn. "Ok, maybe she isn't putting us in danger on purpose, but still, she's dragged us into this jungle filled with literal GIANTS!"

"Oh and we would've been so better off on the beach?! After yesterday's fiasco, I think it's pretty clear nowhere on this island is safe, Nick, but if you want to go back and take your chances at being torn apart by crabs or what have you, then go ahead! I bet you'll get lost on your way back anyways!" Judy shouted back.

At this point, Lynn couldn't help but laugh again at the scene unfolding before her. The pair both looked at her, their irritation at an all-time high. "What're you laughing at?!" they shout in unison.

"I'm sorry darlin's, but…y'all just seem so much like a married couple!" the giggling ocelot blurted out, rolling on the ground once again.

Nick's anger faded immediately, as did Judy's. The rabbit drew her ears back to hide the pink tinge they were getting. Nick coughed into his paw, rubbing the back of his head. They did admit they loved each other at one point, but were never able to bring it up with one another in front of anyone else. They wanted to keep things strictly professional for the time being and maybe keep any hints at a relationship under wraps. Especially out of the fact a predator-prey interspecies couple was a highly frowned upon thing despite how progressive Zootopia was. Upon seeing the looks on their faces, Lynn stared at them with a wide grin, gasping as she stood.

"Y'all ARE a married couple!" She blurted out.

"Wh-what! No, no, definitely not!" Judy corrected her misunderstanding.

"Yea, w-we're strictly professional partners," Nick attempted to add.

Silence fell with Lynn merely staring at the two whilst biting her bottom lip. Her ever beaming gaze whittled them down.

"…Well…I do admit though, I do like her," Nick said quietly, his voice trailing off.

"And, well, we did sort of humor the idea of…being a thing," Judy said quietly as well.

"Oh shut up you two and KISS!" Lynn blurted in excitement paired with impatience.

"Ugh, just…please, forget about this?" Judy whined.

"Why? Y'all are adorable together! Besides, I won't judge!" Lynn assured her, resuming her path. "Love is love darlin's, and if y'all love each other, then hey, live and let live, right?"

With a heavy sigh the pair resumed their hike with Lynn. Despite the many irritating things she brought upon them, they were at least glad to know she wasn't the judgmental type.

The journey went on with Lynn breaking into songs, many of which were country classics about traveling. Their path was filled with danger as expected. Several close calls with a multitude of varying giant insects filled their eventful afternoon.

Admittedly, it was nowhere near as bad as they thought, especially with Lynn acting accordingly to diffuse their encounters into minor nuisances at worst. The scenery wasn't anything to scoff at either; the land was certainly a sight to behold. The plant life was equally large with giant flowers of vibrant colors filling the dense green and brown. And not all of the insects they encountered were all that bad; some of them were even pretty, such as the butterflies.

Nick maintained his vigil, recalling the nightmare he had last night. He kept his eyes peeled for spiders specifically, finding it odd he had yet to see one. Nevertheless, the possibility was there and he knew it.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, the party came upon a particularly dense area of trees. The trunks and branches of the gargantuan trees seemed to connect into a labyrinthine network of natural bridges. It was a breathtaking sight. The pair was so taken aback at the sight that they didn't even notice when the ground had transitioned into wood and bark.

Lynn turned to the weary pair, still somehow full of energy despite only having thirty minutes of sleep that day. "Alright y'all, my place is just ahead!" she exclaimed, bounding off along the massive branch they stood upon.

The pair followed suit, following the cat into the canopy above. When they made it through, the place which Lynn called home could be seen. They stared in shock, wide eyes scanning the clearing. Entangled in branches and vines…were the remains of a plane. The group stood beside a wing, missing several plates of metal. The tail end was ripped asunder and the torn opening covered by a massive tarp. The cockpit hung off the edge of the network of branches, held in place by thick vines. Written across the side of the hull were three simple words:

 _Home Sweet Home._

 **A/N: phew, this one took a lot out of me. Next few updates will slow down more now that I will be having other people proofread and edit my stuff. Thank you all for reading, a few reviews for pointers will still be appreciated.**


	6. Home Sweet Home?

**Chapter 5: Home Sweet Home?**

"The whole plane…" whispered Judy as she stared from the entangled tail right up to the nose of the ruined aircraft. She had recalled how Lynn told them she was the survivor of a plane crash. She did not, however, think the cat had meant the plane was on land. And of all places it was held within the dense canopy of the jungle. Yet here they were, staring at the right half of the wreckage.

"Well, not really the whole plane, see, we're on the good half, the other side is gone," Lynn pointed out, bounding along the wide branch they were standing on. "And this here wing's mostly gone, and then there's that chunk o' the tail missin' over there, the paint is all gone and- OH! Did I mention the landin' gear? They're gone too!" Lynn added cheerfully as she pointed at all the missing components, skipping along what was left of the wing. "N' I admit some of the wing I kinda tore up mahself cuz I needed the metal fer other stuff, but I don't think it really mattered much, I mean, y'all see this right? This here flyin' machine ain't gon' be flyin' 'gain no time soon!"

Nick shook his head while rubbing at his temples. This was all becoming too much to take in and some things just didn't make sense. "But besides that, this plane landed here like this…and you're the _only_ survivor?" Nick questioned while following the energetic feline. Skepticism returned to him, it just didn't add up that the plane ended up on land mostly in-tact and only one animal had survived. He was weary of climbing along the wing for it creaked uneasily as his and Judy's weight was applied. "I mean, come on, the landing couldn't have been that rough," he added while looking the wreckage over carefully.

Lynn stopped bouncing along the wing and silence fell. Nick and Judy stared at her, Nick more so with concern after realizing what he just said. He spoke of something that must've been traumatizing so lightly and he regretted it immediately. The ocelot turned to the pair, her ever present smile replaced with a flat frown. "I didn't think it was right neither," she began while looking at the tail end of the plane. The cheerfulness she exuded before was gone from her tone and the pair was already starting to miss it upon seeing the alternative. "When y'all get inside…ye'll kinda understan'," she said while walking along another branch leading to a hatch door. Lynn slowly opened it, the hinges creaking loudly from the rust caked in.

The pair looked inside cautiously. Lynn's previous statement of the other half being missing was made apparent. The upper hull of the left side was stripped off and several of the chairs were gone, the metal frayed where bolts would've been to secure the seating. Another large chunk of the aircraft was missing where the left wing would've been, leaving a large ragged gap in the plane. Cool wind made its way through the hollow cavity, making the air whistle eerily. They stepped inside slowly, looking down the aisle and in each of the chairs that were still present.

Judy turned to Lynn as the cat entered herself. "Now see…when I woke up…I came in here to see if anyone was alive…didn't think I'd find it to be empty instead," Lynn pointed out, her voice filled with an unfamiliar sadness. "The compartment I was in? No one was alive, see…some folks were still puttin' on their seatbelts when…" her voice trailed off, biting her lip as the pain became evident in her eyes.

Judy took the cat's paw, patting it gently. "You don't have to say it…we…we can figure it out…" the rabbit told her, looking around the torn interior. Depressing was an understatement. Judy could only imagine how terrible it was for the cat to realize anyone who could've made her time on the island even remotely less painful and less lonely…were all gone. It made Lynn's normally cheerful demeanor all the more impressive in hindsight.

Nick gulped dryly, the regret squeezing at him for making the cat relive her tragedy in her head. The hurt in her voice made him wince. He turned to Lynn, scratching at his throat. "I'm…I'm sorry…" he choked out, "I didn't mean to-"

Nick was interrupted once again as Lynn placed a finger to the fox's muzzle. "Apology accepted sugah, I know ya meant no harm," Lynn assured him, smiling softly as she began walking towards the tail end of the plane. "I reckoned y'all would find it mighty suspicious and what not that lil' ol' me was the only one who made it," she stated, a small laugh followed while she opened the flap separating the plane's segments. "And y'all have every right to be," she finished as she unveiled the tail segment.

The tail segment was cleared of all but a few of the chairs, the ground where the seats used to be covered with blankets and small pillows. At the end of the long segment was the hole they saw from the outside covered by the tarp. A branch had grown in through the windows which gave some assurance that the plane was held firmly in place. The ceiling of the plane had small assorted vines with bottles and shiny rocks tied to them for decoration. The thing that was noted most of all was the wall to their left. The pair took careful observation of what looked to be an incomplete map of the island.

"Yea, I done decided that I needed to keep track of where I'd been a lil' while back," Lynn pointed out upon seeing her guests staring at the map. The ocelot turned to face the pair, smiling wide. "But anyhow, take a load off y'all, make yerselves at home!" Lynn shouted, her cheerfulness returning much to the pair's relief.

They smiled back at their host, nodding in agreement to the cat's suggestion. Nick sat on the floor of the plane atop a pile of blankets. Judy followed suit, reclining against her own pile. It brought them some comfort both physically and emotionally. Something so simple was a luxury in their situation. They watched as Lynn sat in front of them on a pile of pillows instead. The cat bounced in her seat, smiling at her guests. "Comfy ain't it?" she asked while smiling.

"Yeah, heh, it's only been, what, two days since we've been here? And I already forgot what blankets were like," Nick joked while pawing at a blanket under him. It was, in fact, comfortable, certainly a step up from lying on sand and leaves.

"It's cozier in here than I thought it would be," Judy pointed out, curiously looking at all the small décor. Her violet eyes began observing other things, paying attention to any labels that might've been present. She had many questions for Lynn but avoided asking them after Nick having just hurt her.

The next few words that came out of the cat's mouth startled her.

"I know y'all got a lot of questions n' such, so if y'all wanna ask me, now's the time," Lynn stated while reclining on the pillows.

It was as if she had been reading their minds and Judy merely stared wide eyed at the cat. "O-oh! Uh…ok um…" Judy found herself at a loss for words. She didn't know where to begin upon being given permission to ask, still taken aback by it. The rabbit thought carefully as to what she wanted to ask first. "…You…Wouldn't happen to know what flight this was…would you?" she asked, hoping that maybe she heard of this plane in the news.

Lynn sat up, tapping her chin. "Well, I think this flight was…Safaria Airs…uh…num'er 9090, bound fer Zootopia National Airport?" Lynn answered with uncertainty. "Ya see, I was on mah way back from vacation, visitin' kin out there, they're leopards, see, n' I was-"

Judy didn't wait to hear the rest of Lynn's story upon hearing the flight's call sign. She thought back carefully to the flight number, thinking about any news article she might've read regarding the missing plane. Nick who had been quiet the whole time stared in bewilderment at the ocelot.

"Seven years…" he uttered aloud.

Judy turned to Nick, perplexed at what he had just said. "What did you say?" she asked, seeking confirmation.

"Seven years…this plane went missing seven years ago…" he stated slowly. The pair's eyes were fixed to Lynn now, absolutely baffled. "You…were here for seven years?" Nick asked in disbelief.

"Well, I reckon that sounds about right actually!" Lynn replied cheerfully.

Nick and Judy stared in stunned silence. It was one surprise after another when it came to Lynn, but this was easily the most disconcerting of all. To survive on this island for even a few days seemed nothing short of a miracle. Yet the cat before them had managed to do so for seven years…and she did so alone. In solitude she lived within this maddening land. The pair were babbling at this point, trying desperately to catch fleeting words to form a question. Something, anything to ask to make sense of what they had just heard.

Judy pulled through, only repeating Nick's question with a single detail added in. "You lived on this island for seven years…alone?" she asked with bewilderment still in her voice.

"Well, for most of it anyways…" Lynn replied, her voice seeming to trail off.

Nick's expression changed from bewilderment and concern to suspicion once more. Judy blinked at the response, her brow furrowing in thought as she took what the cat just said. Nick sat up to lean forward to ask another question. Lynn had either not noticed their expressions or pretended not to so as she stood up. "So, that hike was somethin' else, I reckon y'all are hungry!" she exclaimed as she bounded off towards the rear galley of the plane, leaving her guests staring incredulously at her.

Nick leaned over to Judy, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Carrots…you heard that just now, right?" he asked while keeping his eyes on the galley entrance.

Judy nodded in silent agreement. What had felt off before returned with full force. _'For most of it…'_ she repeated in her mind. She didn't want to think ill of their host, but couldn't shake the idea that there was something wrong now. Something…terribly wrong. She too kept her gaze on the galley as she whispered to her partner. "We should avoid confronting her about it though; she might just get defensive and avoid answering any questions."

Nick too nodded to his partner's suggestion. "For now though, let's just play along…maybe we can get something out of her," he added as he stood up to approach the galley. He made sure to try and look like he didn't seem to suspect anything. Judy followed close behind, clearing her throat.

"So what do y'all wanna chow down on? I got crickets, strawberries, p'taters, I think this here's cabbage, some coconut, a pineapple-" Lynn listed off food item after food item, tossing some of the aforementioned food out of the galley. Nick watched as a dead cricket as large as Judy was thrown out, followed by several basketball sized strawberries. Things didn't get any less impressive as several potatoes were cast out, each of them could've easily been mistaken for large stones. A large leafy cabbage bounced off the wall of the plane, landing amongst the strawberries. Lynn poked her head out of the galley's entrance and looked at the pair with her signature wide smile. "I also got something I picked jus' the other day, I think they might be blueberries, but-"

"Blueberries?" Nick blurted out as his ears stood up. Judy stifled a laugh, a knowing smile on her face. Lynn had inadvertently said the magic word.

"Yeah, or, y'know, I think they're blueberries, I mean, they look like blueberries, smell like blueberries, but I don't rightly know if they are blueberries, I hadn't tried 'em yet," Lynn added as she heaved, seemingly picking up a basket in the galley.

"Oh come on, don't tease me like that, if they look like them, and smell like them, I'm pretty sure they're going to be-" Nick was silenced immediately from his train of thought as Lynn placed an orb in his paw. The fox's ears fell flat and his eyes grew wide. He knew that any food that was to be found was going to be large, yet it did little to prevent his shock. The suspected berry in his paw was the size of a softball.

"Yeah, see, I don't rightfully know what to say about these here berries, they might be poisonous wild berries, but I wouldn't know 'til someone tries 'em or-"

The cycle of interruptions continued as Nick hungrily wolfed down the gargantuan berry, not hesitating despite Lynn's warning. Within seconds the orb was gone, leaving the two girls startled. Nick slowed down on chewing the fruit as the girls watched in anticipation. Judy stared at the lump in the fox's throat as he swallowed.

Then they waited…

Nick gave a wide grin, showing bits of berry still stuck between his teeth as he gave his verdict. "They're. Freakin'. Blueberries!" he shouted out as he raided the galley himself. All that was heard was the continued ravaging of the berries and loud chewing.

Lynn was now the one to step back in shock at the spectacle. She leaned to Judy with a nervous smile now. "Yer, uh, guy friend here…he sure likes 'em there blueberries, huh?"

"They're his favorite," Judy pointed out to which Lynn nodded in understanding.

"Gotcha."

Nick shuffled out of the galley with his belly slightly bulging whilst holding a handmade basket, half empty of its contents. He held a partially eaten blueberry in his other paw. The fox chewed with a blank stare, seemingly entranced. "Carrots, I think, mmm, I think we're dead, this has to be heaven," Nick proclaimed with his mouth full. He scarfed down the remaining blueberry in his paw and sat himself at the frame of the doorway.

Judy shook her head smiling. "Don't even joke about that, Wilde," she said while moving up to the galley door. The small kitchen had been cleared of most of the airline food, presumably eaten. The hollowed out compartments instead overflowed with assorted giant foods. Makeshift pots and pans made from beaten sheet metal hung from the ceiling on more vines. Judy scanned the mountain of stockpiled food carefully and noted one odd thing. There was an unusual amount of vegetables. "Huh, for an animal that's primarily a carnivore, you sure have a lot of veggies…" she stated aloud.

"Oh, uh, force o' habit really, I worked on a farm for most mah life," Lynn stated while sitting beside the dead cricket and tearing off a leg.

Judy looked at Lynn incredulously, a single brow raised. "Really? And what sort of crops did you work with?" she asked while picking up what could only be a giant carrot, struggling to break off a small chunk.

The cat fiddled around with the leg, breaking off spines and tossing them aside. "Well, nothin' traditional really, we sorta grew a lot o' corn n' other grains n' such, but that was mostly so we can feed crickets, see, mah family are cricket ranchers," she stated before biting down on the de-spiked leg.

Nick and Judy both looked at the cat now. "Cricket ranchers?" they asked in unison.

"Yea, Zootopia had to get their crickets from somewhere y'know," Lynn pointed out with her mouth full. She swallowed loudly and giggled. "Mah family ships out hundreds o' pounds o' them lil' critters every few luna cycles!" she exclaimed proudly, a beaming smile on her face. Her smile seemed to fade suddenly, slowly turning to a frown. "Or, y'know…I think they're still shippin' 'em out like that…"

Despite their suspicion, the pair couldn't help but feel sorry for the cat. Being away from loved ones for so long would be heartbreaking to anyone. Judy felt an overbearing pain in her chest, being from a large and loving family of her own. She severely missed her parents and all 275 of her siblings.

Nick set the basket down and slid across to sit by Lynn. He set a paw on her back and patted her gently. "I'm sure their business is booming, hell, cricket sales were going up this past year," Nick pointed out reassuringly. True enough, after the Night Howler incident a large influx of predator specific merchandise went up. Food being sold had increased in revenue most of all and Nick knew it.

Lynn rubbed at her eyes and smiled to Nick. "Thanks foxy, I just wish I knew what they're all up to back at the ranch…" She said with a sigh, taking another bite from the cricket leg.

Judy sat herself down on the other side of Lynn after finally getting a chunk of her carrot. "Well, we'll all find out later, we'll make it off this island together!" Judy stated joyously to match the ocelot's usual cheerfulness.

The air felt tense once more as the pair saw Lynn's face fall. She stared out blankly; an inexplicable hurt seemed to linger in her eyes. It was a constant tug of war on whether or not to be suspicious of or to be concerned for the ocelot as the pair watched her. Nick took notice at her fighting back a shake with his paw still on her back. Judy leaned to look at Lynn's face carefully, her own expression being that of concern. "L-Lynn?"

Lynn snapped out of her trance, locking eyes with the rabbit. "H-Huh? Oh, r-right, yeah, we'll get out o' here, definitely!" she replied hastily with a nervous laugh. "L-listen, it's gettin' dark n' all, I'm gonna go n' put some fresh repellant on the plane, be right back!" she exclaimed, getting up quickly and hurrying out of the compartment.

Judy watched their host bolt out of the plane, not even having a chance to try and stop her. Concern and suspicion were at odds with her once more. All she could manage was to scratch at her head, she hadn't even eaten her carrot yet and she was losing her appetite. "This just keeps getting stranger and stranger…" she said aloud, turning to Nick. "Right?"

Instead she found Nick had moved to the end of the tail to the large covered hole. His head was peering over the edge and under the wreckage.

"Nick? What are you doing there?" Judy asked as she approached the fox.

Nick got up and looked to her, gesturing with his head for her to come closer. "Judy, I think you should look at this…" he says in a whisper just in case Lynn was near the hole.

Judy let her ears flick around, listening for their host. She was able to sense that the cat was more towards the end of the wing. She approached the massive tear, going prone to better see the underside of the plane. Nick joined her, resuming his previous position, gesturing with his head to point out the object of interest. It was a small metal device, painted bright orange with patches of missing paint. Judy eyed the object curiously, tilting her head to try and get a better angle of it. "What is that?"

"That," Nick began, "is the plane's black box," he stated, looking at the ironically named object. "They're used to track down planes after they've crashed…"

"Seriously?! Then we might still have a chance!" Judy blurted out in a hushed but excited tone.

Nick merely shook his head getting back up, Judy sitting back up with him. "I doubt it, black boxes were made to be survivable, but they hardly last long after going active. At most, it would've died out in a few months after the plane crashed…and this one crashed seven years ago," he pointed out while rubbing at his chin. "Nothing is adding up," he remarked.

Judy nodded in agreement, it wasn't just Lynn that was confusing them now, but it was everything about this whole affair. The list of questions was growing and they were actually growing fearful of what the answers would be.

Why had no one found the island?

Why had Lynn chosen to stay put for seven years?

…What was she trying so desperately to hide…?

 **A/N: fun little fact- Ocelot's can be found in Texas out in the wild, although they're considered endangered locally. This is actually the biggest reason I gave Ocelynn a thick southern accent. That and I thought it would pair well with the cheerfulness I was aiming to give her.**

 **Work is picking up for me so I'm even more delayed now in getting anything done. Chapter 6 is in the works, but it is far from complete, I apologize to all of you who read this story.**


	7. Trust Exercises pt1

**A/N: School and work is starting to take its toll on me, and my time to work on this story has been drastically cut. I apologize to any of my current readers as well as any future readers I might get. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Chapter 6: Trust Exercises - pt.1**

The remainder of the evening was uneventful as the pair settled in, filling up on food and fresh water and awaiting the return of their host. The interior of the plane grew surprisingly cold and they were all but too thankful to have a plethora of blankets to wrap themselves in. Questions continued to swarm their minds and racked at their brains. They pondered on their situation in silence, uncertain of how to approach any of their problems without distressing Lynn. To upset the cat was entirely unwise as it might keep her from ever revealing anything...or worse. Sleep came to them slowly despite their state of intense thought, having been worn out from the long hike.

Nick fought against the desire to sleep, unwilling to give in should Lynn return. His body defied him; small aches and lingering soreness nagging at him to rest. He found it difficult to trust Lynn despite her generosity, resulting in the thought that closing his eyes would mean certain death. Tossing and turning; he did whatever he could to prevent sleep.

Judy found it easier to find rest than her partner. She did not wholeheartedly trust their host either, but decided against jumping to any conclusions about her and her questionable sanity. She moved over to Nick, nudging him to be still as she nestled against his side. They huddled together, sleepily looking to the sliding door and slumping over as they dozed off.

* * *

The sound of wind blowing through the hollow cavity of the plane greeted Nick along with the cool air that accompanied the noise. Groggily he groaned, peeking one eye to find he was still within the quiet cabinet. Warmth was felt on his side and out of the corner of his eye he could see Judy quietly snoring against him. Relief came over him; they were still alive in this maddening land. The peace felt surreal…

A peace short lived.

The unmistakable sound of metal clanging on metal rang out in the cabinet, causing the pair to jolt upright. "Wake up y'all! We got a loooong day 'head of us!" said the bellowing voice of Lynn from behind them. She walked out in front of the two, her arms covered in a distinct green liquid and a pungent, familiar odor emanating from her.

Nick couldn't help but wince upon getting a whiff of the repellant, pinching his muzzle and retching. "Ugh, that repellant is disgusting, what the hell is in it?" he asked whilst retreating from the scent.

"Well nothin' special, just some lemongrass, cilantro, myrrh, n'-OH! Stink bug, yea," Lynn listed off, nodding off at the last ingredient.

A cringe crept up on Nick's spine, shuddering at the words 'stink bug'. "Ok, I immediately regret asking." He looked to his partner as she stood up to stretch. "How are you ok with this smell?" he asked while still pinching his muzzle.

"I guess I'm just used to it, I mean, this repellant smells like some of the ones used by my neighbors back home at Bunny Burrow." she pointed out, sitting back down.

"Bunny Burrow!? Hey! I had a friend from Bunny Burrow!" Lynn blurted out excitedly. "But we can catch up on that some later, we gotta eat up n' get ready y'all!" she stated before rushing to the galley.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Nick asked as the cat bolted off, scratching his head and rubbing his eyes.

"Our hike! We gotta go someplace, see, gotta get more water n' take a bath!" Lynn shouted before coming back in mere seconds with a platter piled high with cut carrot chunks, a few blueberries, a segment of what appeared to be dried mealworm, and a small pile of unknown dried meat of some sort.

Nick and Judy looked at the meat with wide eyes. A silence fell and both of them stared at the mystery food, then at Lynn, and then back at the meat. Nick finally spoke up, "Uh…Lynn? What…what is that?" he asked as he pointed to the dried meat.

Lynn took up a piece of it and bit into it, much to the disgust and horror of the pair. "This? This here is fish jerky!" Lynn pointed out causing the pair to stare not in disgust as it was replaced with curiosity.

"Fish jerky? You can make jerky out of fish?" he asked before picking up the jerky and smelling it for himself. The sliver of dried meat had a distinct smell to it, smoky, but beyond that a familiar and all too obvious fishy smell. The fox gulped dryly, finally working up the courage to nibble at it as Judy watched in anticipation. "…Huh, what do you know, it is fish…" Nick stated before taking a larger bite of the jerky.

"Well yea, it's the only other food source on this here island that's a meat. What did ya think it was?" Lynn asked waving the jerky around, giggling as she ate more of it.

The pair laughed nervously, Judy feeling foolish in particular for even humoring the idea that it was anything more sinister. Sighing, she reached forward and took up a carrot chunk, why the cat even had carrots lying around was still beyond her.

The group ate quietly, much to the astonishment of Nick and Judy as their host spoke not a word. _'I guess food shuts her up'_ Nick thought to himself, amused that there was even a way to keep Lynn quiet.

After filling up on the small feast, Lynn gave a small burp of satisfaction, giggling as she stood up. "Well, that was mighty unladylike of me!" she joked whilst still giggling.

Judy giggled with her, holding her paw to her mouth to avoid spitting any of her food in the process. She swallowed down the last of her food, looking up to the cat as her previous statement finally dawned on her. "You said we're going on a hike? And by the sounds of it, you're saying we're headed to a body of water that isn't the ocean?" she asked as she wiped her mouth.

"Mmhm! It'll be great, an adventure! Well, for y'all probably, I mean, I done did this a thousand times by now!" Lynn pointed out as she went over to a box in the corner of the plane.

The pair followed Lynn to the box, curious as to what the hike entailed. Nick sighed as he thought about getting clean, the dirt and grime of the past few days starting to wear down on him. "A bath sounds awesome right about now, so where exactly is it that we-". Nick's thoughts were stopped dead as Lynn pulled out a large bladed weapon, a crude machete of sorts made from the plane's metal. The pair yelped and reeled back, Nick pointing at the cat. "What the hell is that?! Why do you have that?!" he questioned her.

"What, this? Well it's a machete, or it's suppose'ta be anyway. Here, you can have this one Funny Bunny." She stated as she passed the blade to Judy.

Judy's eyes grew wide as she took the weapon, distress taking over as she looked at their host. "Uh, Lynn? W-why are you giving me a weapon?" she asked looking back and forth at the blade and Lynn.

Lynn pulled out another item, this time a makeshift hatchet. "Well, see, the side of the island we're headin' to? It's the dangerous side." Lynn pointed out while twirling the hatchet in her paw.

The pair stared blankly at the cat, the words 'dangerous side' still trying to register in their minds. "Uh…Dangerous side?" Judy repeated as a question, her mouth slightly agape. Nick's eyes grew wide, _'if the side of the island we were at wasn't considered dangerous…then what is?'_ he thought to himself.

"Mmhm, the side of the island we're gonna head out to has all the bugs that'll try ta kill ya without much provomakation n' such." Lynn pointed out before passing the hatchet to Nick.

Nick took the axe without question, or thought, as he was still bewildered at the thought of something far more dangerous than what they've already seen. The realization finally dawned on him that their host was implying that they'd be heading directly to this danger. "Are you crazy?!" he blurted out, doing his best to prevent any further freak outs.

"Nick, r-relax, I mean, Lynn knows what she's doing and she's clearly coming with us! R-right, Lynn? We're going to be fine, right?" Judy asked placing her paw on her partner's shoulder, nervousness in her voice.

"Well of course, Funny Bunny, y'all just gotta stick close to me n' y'all will be fine, well, for the most part anyways," Lynn pointed out as she got out a spear along with a bow and a set of arrows.

"For the most part?" Nick repeated as his distrust of the cat grew evermore.

Lynn snatched up a few empty bottles and tied them together. "Well yea, I mean, I've seen what's on this island, Foxy, I ain't 'bout to make no promises, but don't worry, I'll protect y'all the best I can!" Lynn assured the pair, slinging the bottles over her shoulder. "I mean, y'all don't really hav'ta come, but if'n y'all want a bath or some such and maybe see more o' the island n' whatnot, y'all can tag along!" Lynn stated as she tied the rest of her equipment to her.

The pair looked to one another to ponder on the suggestion. Nick took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. It worked. "Well, what do you think Carrots? Want to risk certain death for a bath?" Nick asked sarcastically. It wasn't entirely sarcasm, however, he did desire to wash up given all the mud and sand caked in places he'd rather not mention.

Judy let out a sigh, calming down as well. "Well, I mean, we're not going to be entirely defenseless, right?" Judy humored back at her partner. She clutched the handle of the large bladed weapon in her paw, while it was just a machete, for her it was practically a sword. "And besides, Lynn says she's done this before, so our odds are looking pretty good as long as we don't lose her on the way…"

Lynn couldn't help but squeal in delight. "It'll be so much fun, y'all, n' hey, we might even get a chance t'go fishin'!" the excited cat suggested before dragging the pair out of the compartment.

The cool yet damp air greeted the trio and Nick and Judy looked out through the massive tear in the plane. They could barely see anything last night, but with the morning sun cast out they could truly take in the sights. The island was certainly larger than either of them had anticipated. There was a field of what seemed like golden grass far past the trees. Just beyond that, the pair could make out what could only be a mountain, presumably a volcano. It only then occurred to them that they were staring out upon the land, awestruck by it all.

"Yea, it's a real purty sight ain't it?" Lynn asked the two, snapping them out of their trance.

"This island is huge," Nick stated simply, shaking his head trying to figure out if maybe they ended up on a new continent instead.

"Y'darn right it is, heck, I haven't even seen more than half the island m'self! Some of it is too dangerous," Lynn pointed out.

The pair turned to her, astounded once more and blurting in unison. "There's something more dangerous?!"

"Mmhm, like that there field o' grass b'fore the mountain? Grass is too tall, see, so no one can really tell if'n there is somethin' there or not." Lynn continued to point out.

Judy looked back out on the field of grass, the idea that the grass was presumably gigantic just now occurring to her. "Oh…that makes sense…" she agreed. "But, how is navigating the jungle any less dangerous?" She asked.

"I'll explain as we go, come on y'all!" Lynn stated as she opened the hatch door, the loud groaning of the aged metal echoing out into the canopy.

The party began their descent into the jungle floor by traversing the massive coiling vines. Lynn began her explanation as they walked. "Y'see, the thing about the jungle is that it's actually pretty quiet, n' there're just enough spaces in between the trees n' such that y'all could at least make out what might be ahead," Lynn began whilst cartwheeling along the vine. "But that whole quiet thing is important, because y'see, the grasslands always got the sea breeze runnin' through it n' what not," She continued, walking backwards. "N' that there makes all the difference! The grass might not look it, but it's loud, too loud, so loud that it can hide anythin' that might creep up on us!" Lynn added, finishing her explanation.

"Is…that how you lost your tail?" Judy asked, finally bringing up the question she wanted answered since they've met.

The trio came to a sudden halt, Lynn herself turning sharply to face them again. The expression upon her face was that of someone who was just greatly offended. Her face then transitioned to a nervous smile followed by a weak laugh. "W-what are ya talkin' 'bout, Funny Bunny, I-I gots mah tail." Lynn stammered out, her smile growing wider and more twisted than before. The cat reached behind her, desperately trying to grab something that was no longer there.

Judy regretted having asked the question, watching the cat have a nervous breakdown. Lynn's breathing was growing heavier by the second, making the unease grow with it. Judy backed away slowly, clutching the machete in her paws tightly.

"Y-yea, yea, you still have a tail, it's a real pretty tail," Nick blurted out hastily in an attempt to keep the situation from escalating further.

Silence fell between the three, Lynn staring at the two with her eyes darting all over the place. She let out a sigh as her breathing returned to normal. "Th-thanks Foxy…" Lynn said as she continued walking, not turning back to face the pair again.

The pair let out a sigh of their own. _'Note to self, do not mention the tail, ever again…'_ Judy thought to herself.

"So, Uh, couldn't the wind do the same to the jungle leaves?" Nick pointed out.

Lynn turned to the fox with a look of confusion. "Huh?"

"You know, that thing with the sea breeze and the grass?" Nick asked again.

"O-oh! That! Yea, yea it does, but if'n y'all recall our hike yesterday was pretty quiet too!" Lynn answered, her cheerful demeanor returning. Nick was all too grateful at the fact that the cat was easily distracted. "The wind noises sorta die down by the time they reach the floor, see, the trees break up all the hullabaloo!" She pointed out.

The pair nodded as they continued down. It did occur to them that their hike leading up to the plane from yesterday was rather quiet. The only noise that accompanied them were the sounds of all the insects moving about, and they were easy to track after a while. Sure enough, the jungle floor greeted the trio with serene stillness. Leaves from the plants on the ground gently rustled, the wind humming through the trees.

"Wow…if it wasn't for the fact that death might be right around a tree bend, this is actually pretty nice…" Judy stated as she pointed her ears all around her, picking up any and all sound. She could make out distant rumbling, probably from something large walking along the ground. Occasional rushes of wind were also heard, accompanied by the distinct beating of wings. All the sounds she heard were easily traceable, leading to her understanding of what Lynn had been talking about.

"Mmhm, but let's not linger on it, we gots'ta move!" Lynn stated as she took a step forward.

With no warning, a blur collided with the cat, causing the pair to yelp. Nick's eyes grew wide in terror at seeing what had landed. A spider. A jumping spider that was as large as Finnick back home in Zootopia. Flashbacks of his nightmare came to him, his heart pounding madly in his chest. Adrenaline took hold as Nick screamed bloody murder, drawing the hatchet to do the spider in. Judy screamed with him, reeling back at the sight of the creature. She composed herself enough to draw her own weapon, ready to kill the beast with her partner.

"Wait wait wait!" Lynn screamed in response as she picked up the spider and herself off the ground, once again confusing the panicked pair. "Now, what did ah tell ya, ya itty bitty galoot!" she scolded.

The pair stared as they tried to figure out who she was scolding. The realization came when they looked at the spider, flailing in the cat's grip before she set it down. The eight legged nightmare that had just landed…had a ribbon tied to its abdomen.

"I told ya, ya can't be doin' that, sweetheart." Lynn continued as she pet the spider. The spider in turn seemed to clean its face, rubbing its palpi all over itself. It looked up at the cat, tilting side to side. "Aw, I just can't stay mad at you ya lil' jelly bean!" she giggled, picking the spider back up and facing the pair, who stared slack jawed at this point. "Alrighty guys, say hi to Spidsy! He's mah best friend n' neighbor, he eats all the flies n' other pests 'round here!" Lynn stated with a big grin. The spider flailed about, almost pathetically, before being set down again. Spidsy resumed his self-cleaning, drying off the morning dew from his hairy carapace.

Neither of the two officers could bring themselves to say anything, merely watching the little spider. Little was ironic, as the spider was still considerably larger than what it should be. Nick had to rub at his eyes to be certain he was still seeing straight. _'She has a pet spider…of course she would have a PET SPIDER…'_ he thought to himself.

"Oh come on y'all, he's harmless, Trust me!" Lynn assured the pair.

Trust.

That one word seemed to be the main issue when it came to their host. It seemed today would be the day that it would be tested. Whether they wanted to or not, they had to bring themselves to trust Lynn.

"Y'all can get better acquainted later, for now though, we need to get goin'!" Lynn reinstated. She stooped down to the spider and pet it one last time. "And you best behave now, y'hear, don't go pickin' fights with none of 'em other bigger creepy crawlies, ok?" At those instructions, the small spider merely tilted to one side, leaving one to wonder if it did understand her at all. Regardless, the small arachnid scurried off, leaping up into the trees. The pair kept their eyes firmly locked on the spider as it leapt off. A sigh leaves Judy, the day had barely begun and she already felt tired. Nick could only rub his face, the encounter leaving an uneasy feeling in his chest.

Without another word, the trio took off into the jungle. They were stepping into dangerous territory with Lynn up front with her bow drawn. The fact she had a weapon out at all kept the other two on their toes. Was the side of the jungle they were entering so truly terrible? The pair could only imagine what horrible things lay ahead, and neither of them could believe that they were heading towards it willingly. Trying times awaited them and the trust exercises were to begin.


	8. Trust Exercises pt2

**Chapter 7: Trust Exercises - pt.2**

Twigs snapping underfoot, crunching of leaves and the quiet rustling of plants accompanied the trio in their descent into the jungle. Despite the serenity presented, they knew that it was merely a cover, masking the terrors that could be lying in wait. Lynn was at the forefront of the group, bow in one paw and arrow in the other. This paired with the fact she wasn't as talkative as usual put the two officers at unease. The cat did eventually speak, if only to issue a warning.

"Now we should be gettin' in the danger zone any second now, I want y'all to stick reeeeal close," Lynn advised in a slight whisper. She walked at a steady pace, but with emphasized diligence as her steps were relatively quiet. "If'n y'all hear or see anythin', don't be afraid to holler, sometimes the noise is enough to scare some critters off," she added before pausing briefly. "Actually, on second thought, don't holler, it might make some critters mad too or, y'know, attract somethin' worse."

"Then what the heck are we supposed to do?!" Nick questioned her, his whisper having a frustrated tone to it. He clutched his hatchet while looking all around him, emerald eyes darting left and right, up and down, surveying his surroundings.

"Well, I reckon y'all could-" Lynn began, halting abruptly mid-sentence, stopping altogether.

The pair stopped with her, watching the cat. Lynn's ears moved around, seemingly tracking something. Judy attempted to do the same and picked up a faint noise, drawing her machete. The cat drew her bow, pulling the string back. She pointed the arrow directly in front of her as the other two watched. Slowly she brought the arrow around, turning behind her and in between the pair. Nick and Judy continued to watch Lynn, their eyes growing wide as she brought the arrow to point behind them. Nick gulped, wanting to look back, but refraining from doing so out of fear. Judy refused to look back as well, She however was paying more attention to Lynn. There was an unfamiliar ferocity in the cat's eyes, her pupils contracted into slits, brows furrowed in fury.

"Foxy…duck." Lynn ordered the fox in a cold whisper. In a split second, Nick ducked his head as Lynn aimed where it was, firing the arrow. A thud echoed out from behind the pair, now looking back. A shrill screeching sound emanated from the plants behind them and a large insect fumbled out with the arrow lodged in its eye. The long insect thrashed about in agony before turning tail with its wings out, flying off into the jungle.

The pair looked on as the bug took off. Nick's heart was racing, and the sight of the insect didn't help it any. He let out a small sigh before turning to Lynn. "Ok, what on earth was that?!" He stammered out, getting back onto his feet.

"Assassin bug," Lynn replied flatly, her eyes still in slits as she watched the area the bug flew off too. "N' their name tells ya exactly what they do," she added before getting another arrow out.

The coldness in her tone and the fierce look in her eyes put both officers in unease. The unease only grew as Lynn looked at the pair with beaming eyes and a smile once again.

"Alright, well let's keep on truckin', gotsta make it to the river n' back b'fore nightfall!" Lynn stated jovially before resuming the hike.

It already astonished the pair to know Lynn was capable of anything but her happy-go-lucky demeanor, but even more so now knowing it could be masking something far more sinister. Judy pondered to herself, the happy cat was capable of being fierce when she needed to be, and she was all the more curious to know just how far it could go. Of course, with none of it directed at them.

"Uh, Lynn, why exactly do we need to come back before it gets dark?" Judy asked their guide, her ears even more vigilant now. "And also, was that assassin bug really that dangerous?"

"What, the assassin bug? Nah, they're more a ambushy type o' predator!" Lynn stated in a hushed tone. "N', well, the thing about dusk is that it's when all the real nasty critters come out, see, like the cockroaches!" Lynn pointed out. Just knowing the island had giant cockroaches made Nick and Judy shudder. "But them there roaches are the least of our worries," she added, to which Nick could only think, _'Of course…'_ "Nah, see, the real problem is gonna be the huntsman spiders!" Lynn stated, causing the pair to stop again.

Nick looked at the cat in wide eyed terror at the mention of spiders, not having been desensitized from his encounter with Spidsy quite enough. "Uh…did…did you say that spiders comes out at night?" he asked gulping dryly.

"Mmhm! N' boy howdy, the huntsman spiders 'ave gotsta be the scariest things y'all will ever lay eyes on!" The cat replied turning around to the pair. "They're not like other spiders, no sirree, them their huntsmans live up to their names, see, they're a roamin' species, n' soon as they decide that somethin's gonna be their next meal, they'll run it down n' snatch it up!" Lynn explained, gesturing out the action of the spider grabbing its prey.

Nick's façade faltered evermore at the thought of a giant spider chasing him or Judy down. He gulped once again as he composed himself. "That's…great…" He stated sarcastically before walking again.

Judy looked at Nick, knowing full well that a new found fear of spiders was still imprinted onto him from his nightmare. She certainly couldn't blame him; the thought was more than terrifying. Even she had to admit the vision of being chased by giant spiders repulsed her.

"N' there are plenty o' other beasty bugs, but the real problem we're gonna have is with Sheila!" Lynn finished, speaking louder and louder still, unbeknownst to her.

The pair looked at each other, confused at the mention of a name. "Who's…Sheila?" Judy asked. The rabbit was beginning to realize that Lynn had a habit of naming things of importance.

"A pandinus imperator!" Lynn proclaimed, turning to the pair with her hands on her hips.

The two officers were even more confused at this point. Nick could only scratch his head, their guide was making less sense as the hike continued and he was certain he would have grown used to it by now. "Uh…the what?" he asked, still trying to figure out what Lynn had just stated.

"Oh, uh, emperor scorpion!" Lynn stated, smiling wide while the pair's faces fell to despair. "Well, in this case though, it'd probably be more accurate to call her an empress scorpion." Lynn pointed out, tapping her chin.

"Oooookay…giant scorpions, good to know!" Nick blurted out.

"Oh don't worry yer pretty lil' head off there Foxy, She only comes out at night! So as long as we-" Lynn stopped midsentence, her eyes wide as she clutched her mouth. The pair stared at her quizzically, wondering why she stopped so abruptly. Lynn shook her head as she let go of her mouth. "Not that loud, I should not be this loud…" she whispered to herself. Just as she stopped speaking, her ears moved around erratically, eyes growing wide once more.

In a split second, Lynn drew her bow and aimed to her left, just as a large green beetle charged her down. In the blink of an eye, a snarl, followed by a sharp scream, the sound of bodies colliding and a hiss. Lynn was brought to the ground by the charging beetle just as an arrow connected with the creature's mouth. The pair had little time to react as the beetle erupted from the brush, following suit with their own screams as Lynn wrestled the beetle. The cat eventually tossed the beetle off of her, panting as she drew another arrow, promptly shooting the abdomen of the beast. They stepped back cautiously as Lynn got up with clenched fists.

The cat turned to the pair, ferocity in her eyes once more. "Funny Bunny…could you pass me that?" Lynn asked while panting, more so from anger, pointing to the machete in the rabbit's paw.

Hesitantly, Judy passed her the large blade. The pair watched in silence as their guide walked up to the writhing and screeching beetle. She spoke not a word as she swiftly swiped down on the beetle, sending the head rolling off, its screeching silenced suddenly from the execution. The pair continued to watch, horror on their faces as Lynn continued her savagery. She ripped the limbs from the beetle and sliced the body every which way. What disturbed them most of all was how she hummed whilst butchering the body.

With a content sigh Lynn turned back to the pair, her eyes cheerful once more. "Ok, no more loud noises from us and we won't have any more attacks like that," Lynn whispered. She gave the machete back to Judy, picking up the items she dropped and continued walking. The pair stared in worry, looking back at the butchered carcass Lynn had left behind. The fact she was capable of such cruelty while being able to resume her usual happy self was cause for concern. Regardless, the pair bit their tongues, feeling it would trigger another episode.

Judy swallowed the lump in her throat, working up the courage to speak again. "So…Lynn, uh, what should we be worried about during the day?" She asked while trying to hide any indication of fear.

"Well, for instance, like that there tiger beetle I just killed," Lynn began in a whisper. "And all kinds of other creepy crawlies, of course the spiders, but as long as y'all don't get in their webs y'all will be fine," Lynn stated quietly as she ducked under a fallen log. The pair followed along as she continued, "and then there're some critters y'all won't be able to see 'less you're real close cause they got that there natural camoumoflage and what have you, and boy howdy, let me tell ya, they can give ya a real fright if you're not-" Lynn cut off abruptly once again, this time holding her paw behind her to signal the pair to stop.

Nick and Judy gulped nervously. _'is something there? Is something going to attack us?'_ Judy thought, her ears frantically trying to pick up anything that might be approaching.

"Foxy, Funny Bunny, I need y'all to back away real slow like…" Lynn ordered the pair as she too backed up.

The pair looked ahead, spotting what the cat was trying to redirect them from. It appeared to be a den, thin silk-like threads adorning the ground, all connected to a strange circular mass of thread and vegetation. Quietly and carefully, the trio walked away and around the strange obstruction. It was only after they were past the object and at a good distance that Lynn stopped holding her breath.

"Phew, boy howdy that was close," She exclaimed, albeit still in a whisper.

"What is that?" Nick asked, staring at the clump.

"That there is a trapdoor spider's den," Lynn pointed out, much to the disgust of Nick. "But y'know, I don't even reckon if anyone's home or not…let's find out!" Lynn stated before picking up a rock. Before either of them could stop her, the bold cat tossed the small stone onto the lid of the spider's den. Sure enough, a colossal spider emerged from the latch, bursting forth in a fit of deep growls that emulated a roar. Its front legs were raised as were its body, baring its massive fangs.

Nick yelped reactively, reeling back and landing on his haunches as the massive black and brown spider erupted from its den. "Are you crazy?!" Nick couldn't help but snap at the cat, doing his best to keep it down to a whisper still. "Why the hell would you piss it off like that?!" He questioned her, quickly getting back on his feet.

"Oh don't get yer britches in a bunch Foxy, it ain't gonna come after us or nothin'," Lynn stated, resuming her path. "Trapdoor spiders are ambush predators, n' they'll only grab up anythin' that happens to walk near their lil' doors," she pointed out, "that there fightin' display? I reckon it's just grumpy that I threw a rock at it."

Nick rubbed at his face, frustrated at the cat but he did his best to keep calm. He knew full well that any major outbursts might attract unwanted attention. The kind of attention that has giant limb cutting mandibles, or perhaps a venomous bite or sting. Whatever the case may be, the fox kept his cool for everyone's safety. The other reason he kept quiet was knowing full well at this point that making Lynn mad could be a possible death sentence and no amount of police training would help them in Lynn's home turf.

"Don't worry y'all, I reckon we're just an hour away now," Lynn stated as she marched along the path. "N' don't y'all fear none, there's plenty o' bugs that won't up n' try to kill us," Lynn stated.

"Such as?" Nick asked, skeptical at the thought of anything harmless on this side of the island after seeing the locals.

Just as he asked, the ground gave way beneath the trio, finding that they were standing atop a red and black shell of an insect.

"Oh! Hang on, don't move or nothin' y'all, I reckon this here is a trilobite beetle, real harmless," Lynn pointed out as she even sat down to make her point on the beetle's harmlessness. "N' hey, she's even goin' in the direction we're headin' off to."

"Lynn, a-are you sure this is safe?" Judy asked as she tried to remain standing, wobbling as the insect trudged off deeper into the jungle. Nick was trying to do the same, with even less success as he landed face first onto the hard shell. The rabbit was eventually knocked down as well, now forced to sit on the broad back of the bug.

"Ah don't worry y'all, trilobite beetles are vegematarians," Lynn pointed out as she helped Nick into a sitting position. "Y'all just need to sit back n' enjoy the ride," Lynn stated, smiling and looking at the path ahead.

By this point the pair were well seated on the back of the large bug, left now with the choice of walking or enjoying the free ride. They chose the latter, sighing and reclining on the insect taxi service. Lynn's statement of the bugs preferred diet put them at ease, trusting her word as she hadn't been wrong yet. The leisurely pace of the bug allowed the trio to relax as it scurried along the jungle floor. Despite the ever lurking dangers, the bug carried on unhindered.

"Now, this here is a female, and the weird part 'bout trilobite beetles is that the females don't really change much from the larva stage," Lynn explained, patting the back of the insect. "See how she looks kinda like a big armored caterpillar? Well, that's b'cause she basically IS a caterpillar!" Lynn added with a small giggle.

Nick and Judy nodded as they listened to their guide. Lynn even went on to explain, still in a hushed tone, just some of the things they were passing by. Some such things being a pair of male stag beetles fighting over turf. She explained to them about tree wetas, particularly regarding the male that threatened them as they passed. They even rode by a mantis as it snatched a cricket off the ground and she even identified the type of mantis from just a glance.

"You're surprisingly well informed about bugs, huh Lynn?" Judy pointed out, genuinely impressed by how much their guide seemed to know about the local fauna.

"Well, I did say I'm from a bug ranch, sweetheart, see, I wanted to teach young'ns 'bout all kinds of creepy crawlies, so I studied a lot o' bugs in mah spare time," Lynn explained, smiling fondly as she went on. "Yessiree, see, I didn't wanna be a rancher like mah folks, I wanted to be a teacher." The pair had to admit, despite the cat's behavior, she did seem eager to teach and she certainly knew plenty. Lynn sighed as she continued, "but y'see, schools don't really teach that sort o' stuff in a class of no kind, 'cept for biology probably, n' even then it's really only a one time, one hour deal," she explained before lying down. "Nah, see, I gotsta go to the big city, and teach 'bout buggy bugs in a museum," she went on with a wide smile, "then I'll getsta teach the young'ns n' grown folks alike 'bout bugs durin' tours n' such."

Judy couldn't help but smile hearing Lynn's dreams of teaching. "Y'know, I think you'd actually make a pretty good tour guide," she assured her. Nick smiled at that, having gotten a similar statement from the rabbit when they had finally gotten along a year or so back.

Lynn got up with a smile, opening her mouth to speak. Her face instead turned to a distressed expression as her ears twitched. She quickly looked to her right, the pair looking with her to hopefully see what she was seeing. The large insect they were riding upon continued marching, unaware of what might be coming…

"Oh no…" Lynn started, getting up and off the insect quickly. "C'mon y'all, we ain't safe on the ground!" the panicked cat exclaimed.

The pair followed suit, panic taking hold now as they watched Lynn run to the nearest tree. In a few graceful leaps she was high up in the tree, where she quickly tossed down a few vines. "Quick, climb up!" she shouted, holding the vines in a way as though she was prepared to start pulling them up.

"Lynn, w-what's going on!?" Judy shouted back, beginning the climb with the help of Nick.

"No time to explain, just get up!" Lynn ordered hastily while looking out in the direction she had been staring at earlier, her eyes wide with fear.

Without another word, the pair quickly climbed the vine while being pulled up by Lynn at the same time. Then they heard it. What seemed at first like the rumbling of an earthquake quickly became obvious as to what the source was. An armada of large ants were on the war path, headed in their direction. The pair screamed, climbing as fast as they could to the branch the cat was perched upon.

The surge of black and red carapaces came like a flooded river, quickly drowning the land below the group. Lynn looked to the trilobite beetle they had been riding upon just moments ago, wincing at the sight before her. Nick and Judy looked too, immediately regretting the decision, seeing that the docile creature was being torn apart by the voracious army. They could hear its cries amidst the stampede and all they could do was pity the poor insect. Despite the savage onslaught, the ants stuck to the ground, carrying the remains of the trilobite beetle as well as those of several other insects.

Lynn watched the ants carefully, making certain none of them were going up the tree. She held her spear this time, ready to fend off anything that might try and take them. The wait was long and stressful as the tide of ants didn't seem to end. Despite this, the fierce cat held her ground, trying to steady her breath as ant after ant passed by. Nick and Judy clutched their own weapons, preparing for the inevitable attack from the ants.

Much to the trio's relief, the attack never happened. After nearly thirty minutes had passed, so too did the last of the ants. They sighed in unison, watching the jungle floor and the carpet of black and red disappearing into the distance.

"Those…weren't your average ants I take it?" Nick asked, looking below to see if there were any stragglers.

"Army ants, and boy howdy are they mean," Lynn stated in a less then cheerful tone, dropping the vines once again for the pair to get down. "They'll eat dang near anything that's in their way, don't matter if it's a small itty bitty larva or a big ol' tarantula, if it's there, it's food to them," she said flatly before descending from the tree one branch at a time.

The pair could see her scouting the area before looking up, motioning for them to come down. They slid down the vines carefully, landing beside Lynn.

"Now the river is just past that there hill, listen, ya hear that? That's the waterfall," explained, holding one paw to her ear to listen carefully. They all stood there to listen, the faint white noise of running water greeting them from the distance.

"Ok, so, any warnings regarding the river?" Judy asked.

"A few things to take to heart. The one important thing is to not go in the river, stay by the falls instead. Trust me, there are plenty o' big ol' fish in the water that could easily swallow us whole," Lynn pointed out, the pair cringing reactively. "But them there fish are the least of yer worries, if y'all get caught by a toebiter…yer done," Lynn stated flatly, enough to put both officers in unease.

"A… Toebiter?" Nick repeated, finding the name humorous, but seeing how Lynn reacted to it he knew it was probably far from being funny.

"Wait, I've heard that name before…" Judy began, thinking back carefully. Her eyes went wide as one memory returned to her, cringing and shuddering. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers…THOSE are here?" she asked, clutching her machete.

"Wait, you know what those are, Carrots?" Nick asked, now genuinely curious.

"My siblings and cousins all went wading in a stream by my Uncle Roger's house once, my cousin Dean screamed and hopped out of the water on one foot. The other foot had some weird bug latched onto it, and when we took it off, it left this nasty wound," Judy recollected, cringing again before turning to Lynn. "And now you're telling us that a giant version of that could be in the river?"

"I'm 'fraid so Funny Bunny, n' they're just as mean bein' all hugified and what not," Lynn stated with a nod. "That's why I need y'all to stay by the falls, toebiters don't like bein' near rough water," she advised, walking to the hill. "Trust me though, I can make sure y'all'll be safe," the cat assured the pair, smiling confidently.

The pair looked to each other, nodding to an agreement that was not spoken. They trusted Lynn for now to be able to keep them safe. With a sigh, they followed behind their guide, looking ahead in the direction of the river, mentally preparing for the nightmare that could be lurking in the depths.

 **A/N: For an idea of how tall Ocelynn is, she is about a foot taller than Nick. Also, all bugs presented in this fic are bugs that actually do exist, a Google search will show you exactly how they look if you wanna follow along on what creepy crawlies I use.**


	9. Trust Exercises pt3

**Chapter 8: Trust Exercises - pt.3**

"Well, here we are," Lynn proclaimed, parting some vines to let the pair following her see the river.

Nick and Judy looked on at the river, staring in wonder at the incredible sight. The large body of water stretched far, disappearing in a corner off in the distance. What was most noteworthy was how it was just as impressively wide. To their right they could see the bottom of the falls, rushing down onto large rocks which broke up the torrent to make a fine mist. The river itself was far from being devoid of life as the pair could see giant water striders, skimming about on the surface. Large dragonflies hovered above, their wing beats imitating the sound of helicopter rotors. Just below the surface of the water, they could make out the distinct shape of fins.

The trio made their way down closer to the water's edge before Lynn turned to the pair. "Now remember, don't go in the water past the falls, and don't be 'fraid to holler here, most critters here don't care much fer noise," Lynn instructed, removing her equipment and getting the bottles ready for refilling. She looked out across the water, carefully observing the other side. With a nod she looked to the pair, "I don't see nothin', but I don't suggest goin' across the river neither, might be a fishin' spider wanderin' around."

Nick's ears shot up at the mention of spiders, looking around the other side. "Don't joke with me like this Lynn, that's not an actual thing is it? Spiders that actually live near water?" Nick asked, clutching the hatchet. He hadn't even realized that he had moved behind Lynn for protection.

"Oh don't worry yer fuzzy lil' head, foxy, if'n there is a fishin' spider over there or not, I'll get em'," Lynn assured Nick. "Besides, it wouldn't be huntin' up here by the falls anyways, it'd probably move down river where the waters calmer," she pointed out as she got her spear ready. "Also, spiders in general tend to live near water anyhow, water means life, n' life means bugs, n' bugs mean food!" she pointed out, tying a vine to the spear.

"That isn't helping with the worrying, you're telling me there could be even more spiders here than normal," Nick stated with a worried tone, looking to the jungle behind him amidst the trees for any webs.

"Nick, relax, we're not going to get attacked by spiders near a body of water," Judy attempted to assure him while looking towards Lynn, "right?"

"Actually, you're more likely to get attacked _in_ a body of water than near one," Lynn pointed out, slinging the spear over her shoulder with the vines coiled and tucked under her arm. "There're these spiders called divin' bell spiders, and they actually live most their lives underwater," she added on.

Nick's ears fell flat to his head, eyes widening at the thought of being dragged underwater by a spider. "Ok, so, stay above water at all times, got it!" Nick blurted out, hastily shuffling his way towards the rocks near the falls.

"Maybe I should've told him that divin' bell spiders only hang around calm water," Lynn suggested to herself. "Anywho, y'all two enjoy y'alls bath and showers!" Lynn enthusiastically stated to Judy.

Judy's ears stood up, she had almost entirely forgotten why she came along. The thought suddenly came to her that she would probably have to wash up the same time as Nick. She looked around the falls to see if there was any way for her to do this without being seen by him as well. The falls had several rocks, but no such area existed where she could wash up separately. She then looked to Nick, finding that he was already naked. "Nick! Sweet cheese and crackers, a warning would've been nice!" She shouted, covering her eyes suddenly. She wanted to admit that she liked what she saw, however.

"Come on, Carrots, we're not exactly in a position to be prudes," Nick pointed out to her. The fox wasn't at all phased at the thought of being naked around other mammals, despite this he felt slightly timid at the thought of being naked around Judy. "Let's just get this over with quickly; I'm pretty certain we're not going to have all the time in the world either."

Hesitantly the rabbit nodded, the day was soon to be half over and the threat of dusk was closing in. "J-just, don't say anything, alright?" she stammered as she proceeded to disrobe. Hastily she took off her clothes, being a little more hesitant with her undergarments. Now naked, she gulped nervously while folding her clothes. She neatly placed the tattered clothing beside Nick's garments. Her ears were used to try and conceal herself all the while.

Nick tried not to watch as his partner stripped down beside him. He too gulped nervously, trying his best not to show any interest. He managed to avert his gaze to the clothes, his crumpled pile and Judy's neatly folded stack. "Y'know, despite how much I love that shirt, I think we're gonna need some new duds," Nick pointed out, staring at his bright green tropical button up. He sighed at the now sleeveless garment, having used the sleeves to procure a sling when they had landed.

"Oh don't be so down slick, you have several pairs of that shirt back home," Judy pointed out, playfully punching Nick's arm.

"It's the just the sentiment of it, Carrots, I doubt I'll find a pair of it on this island is what I'm saying," Nick rebutted. He looked to Judy, having briefly forgotten she was in the nude. He was glad he had fur to hide the brief blush he had before quickly looking to the falls. "But that's a different conversation for another time, we should hurry up and get washed," he pointed out while walking towards the edge of the shallow water.

Judy nodded in agreement, following her partner. The waters were cold, refreshing after the hot hike to reach the falls in the first place. Judy kept towards the edge of the rocks where the water grew deeper, cupping her paws to draw water to wash off. She dipped her feet cautiously, making certain there was nothing around. Nick had made his way to the middle of the falls where the mist was densest. Water poured down like rain from where he stood. He stood there, letting it drench him as he washed the gunk of the prior days. The basic commodity of bathing suddenly seemed all the more luxurious to the pair. A sigh escaped their lips in unison, the noise of the falls drowning out the sound of content.

From afar, Lynn had made her way to the edge of the river, wading in slowly until the water was up to her knees. She dare not tread any further as certain fish would mistake her for food. She held the spear in her paw, her arms poised to throw the polearm at an unsuspecting fish. Her eyes adjusted to scanning the waters, she could barely make out shadows under the surface so she refrained from throwing the spear until something was clear and visible. A wrong throw would only make things difficult as it would cause the fish to scatter. A sudden bubbling caught her attention, her eyes fixated on the spot. Something was definitely moving under the surface and she watched the outline carefully.

It was not a fish.

Lynn stared at the oblong shape under the water, her eyes drawn to slits now as her hunting instincts took hold. Moreover she watched where the shape was heading to. She felt rage welling up inside her as the shade moved towards Judy.

The rabbit in the meantime continued her bath, washing the last of the dirt and sand from her ears. With another sigh she opened her eyes just in time to see a shadow approaching her in the water. Panic took hold as she leapt from her spot. A large insect burst from the surface, the forewarned toebiter, its two front legs out like a pair of giant pincers, opened up to grab at the rabbit. A scream barely left Judy's throat as the creature came for her. Judy braced for impact, it was all over for her and the bug would grab her and take her away. The grab never came.

A loud thunk echoed out along the riverside as the spear connected with the back of the ferocious insect. Lynn had landed a perfect throw, now grasping at the vines to pull the water bug away from Judy. "Oh no you don't!" she shouted in fury, pulling with all her strength and her teeth gritting under the strain.

Nick caught the sound of Judy's scream moments before the spear landed, turning to see the struggle that ensued. "Judy!" He cried out as he rushed over to his partner, pulling her away from the thrashing insect. He watched as Lynn pulled the insect away, unconsciously holding on to Judy, the rabbit doing the same as she clung to him.

Lynn pulled herself from the water, tying the vine to a nearby shrub which had grown to be about as large as a tree. Looking back she could see the toebiter still struggling to be rid of the spear firmly lodged in between its wings. Hastily she made her way to a tree which had its branches over the river just above the insect, picking up the machete as she went. She was soon in the tree and above the insect, the machete firmly in her paws. With a shout she plunged towards the insect, landing on top of it and disappearing under the water with a splash.

Nick and Judy looked on as the murderous feline dove after the offending insect. They held each other panting, adrenaline dying down slowly. Judy got up slowly, peering out in the spot Lynn had landed, watching the bubbles come up. "Lynn!" she called out, worrying for the cat's safety. Nick had also gotten up at this point, a paw on Judy's shoulder.

After a minute had passed, Lynn emerged from the water, gasping and panting as she made her way to shore. In one paw she had the spear, tossing it aside. In the other paw she had the beak of the water bug. The insect itself had been partially butchered, its front legs were torn off and the other two legs on its left side were also missing. The machete was lodged in the bug's midsection, the blade cutting a small ditch as she dragged the insect onto land. She turned to the insect, which feebly squirmed before her. In a last ditch effort the toebiter spread its wings to fly, to no avail as it was lying on its back. "You ain't leavin'," Lynn growled in a hushed tone, pinning the bug with her feet in addition to the machete keeping it in place. She kneeled down and grasped at its wings once they stopped flapping, ripping them off the insect. The insect squealed miserably, reduced to a pile of stumps, crying out in pain. "N' I reckon you won't need this no more," Lynn hissed as she then grabbed the insect's head by its eyes, digging her claws into them to get a good grip. With a sudden twist and a jerk, she ripped the insect's head off, tossing it next to the spear.

The pair looked on in horror at the cruel treatment the insect was receiving. Despite the fact it tried to eat Judy, it was still a horrendous sight to watch Lynn so viciously dismantle the bug. Judy could only look away as Lynn did away with the insect's head, shuddering at the unsettling crunching sound and the last pathetic squeal.

Nick could bear to watch no longer, but instead of averting his gaze he made his way from the rocks of the falls, still naked, watching now as Lynn pulled the machete from the insect to butcher it further. He rushed over to the still visibly furious cat. "Lynn, hold it, you don't have to maim the thing any further, ok? It's dead, you can stop now," Nick shouted to her. "Please, just…put the blade down," he pleaded to her.

Lynn looked up to see Nick, the machete raised above her head. "Oh don't fret none, Foxy, I'm just gonna carve up this here bug for food now!" Lynn stated with her usually cheerful tone. It was still unnerving that she could go from being so cold to so happy on a dime. "Water bugs are good eats, see, they pack a lot o' protein from their fish diet!" Lynn pointed out. Just like that, Lynn began slashing away at the dead bug, this time with a little more finesse as she carved off chunks that could be easily carried.

Nick squirmed as he watched her cut up the bug. He was less horrified than before from when she had killed the beetle on their way to the river. He backed away to leave the cat to her work, sighing as he shook himself to dry off.

Judy stood by and watched as her partner tried to talk down their host. She too shook herself dry, having no towel or otherwise to do so. She looked at Lynn, who was happily humming away as she carved up pieces of the water bug and wrapping them in leaves. She quickly began getting dressed just as Nick started to do so. "That…was a bit excessive," she remarked while buttoning up her top, uncertain how to react at this point.

"Yea, no kidding," Nick responded, putting his own shirt back on. "At least this time she's not butchering it with no reason," Nick remarked while looking back.

Lynn had finished carving up the last of the water bug to carry back, leaving a half butchered carcass. With a content sigh she made her way up to the pair. "Alright y'all, just gotta fill up these here water bottles n' then we'll be good to go!" Lynn stated as she walked past the pair to the base of the falls. Nick and Judy watched as Lynn filled up each bottle carefully. After another twenty minutes the cat finished the last bottle, slinging the heavy bundle over her shoulder. "Phew, lemme tell ya, this part never gets easier!" Lynn remarked with strain in her voice. She passed the bundle of wrapped up water bug to Nick, "here Foxy, I'mma need you to carry these!"

Nick hesitantly took the bundles, it was only four bundles but they amounted to being about twenty pounds total. "Geez this stuff is heavy," he remarked as he bounced the bug meat in his paws. "And you do this routine often?"

"Just once every week or so, I don't usually leave unless I get a fish, but that there toebiter meat is gonna be a mighty tasty compromise!" Lynn replied while handing half the water bottles to Judy.

Judy took the bottles and slung them over her good shoulder, even carrying half of them was a notable feat. _'She must be crazy strong if she usually carries this stuff on her own every week,'_ she thought to herself.

"Usually I don't come so heavily armed neither, mostly I just bring the machete and this here bow and I'd go bow fishin'!" Lynn pointed out as she slung the rest of her equipment on her back. "But what with y'all two comin' along, havin' a few extra things don't hurt none."

Judy nodded as she listened, having the machete passed back to her. Even though she hadn't used the weapon herself yet, it was still nice to know the precaution was there. She honestly wished she wouldn't have to use it.

* * *

With that the trio left the river side, making their way back through the jungle. It was back to being on high alert as they were once again greeted by the ominous quiet amidst the trees. Lynn had her bow out once more, the two officers following suit with their own weapons out. All they could hope for was a safe and uneventful trip back to the plane.

Lynn looked up to peek past the canopy wherever she could. After a careful inspection, she nodded and turned to the pair. "I reckon the day is halfway through, so we gotta get a move on, once the sun starts comin' down we're gonna hav'ta hustle and forget bein' quiet," Lynn stated in a whisper.

Judy took note that they were not headed back through the previous route. "Uh, Lynn? Was this the way we came?" the rabbit asked whilst looking over to a lower area of the jungle. By this point the trio was walking along one of the massive branches of the trees.

"Nope, but we gotsta head this way though, always take the high ground goin' back since all the mean nasties live closer to the ground," Lynn pointed out. "N' it will take a lil' bit longer, but in the least we'll avoid most of the riff raff."

The pair nodded, agreeing with the idea of avoiding the dangers of the night. They carried on quietly, Nick keeping an eye on the rear making sure nothing was following. Judy kept her ears up, surveying their surroundings as they walked on. The trio made their way into an opening where two branches met, the jungle floor well hidden with a layer of canopy. "…Hey Lynn?" Judy called out in a whisper.

"Yes Funny Bunny?" Lynn replied, turning her head briefly to meet the rabbit's gaze.

"I never got to say thank you, so, thanks for saving me back there," Judy told the cat, smiling up at her.

Lynn returned the smile, lowering her bow and actually turning to face the rabbit. "Aw shucks, you're welcome Funny Bunny, but really there was jus' no way I was gonna let no toebiter snatch up one o' the only friends I gots here," Lynn pointed out, placing her paw on Judy's shoulder.

Nick managed a small smile at the tender moment; he felt he should also be thanking her as well. He opened his mouth to say his thanks, only to be stopped suddenly by a noise.

 _Vrrrrrrrrr…_

Judy and Lynn stood on alert, their ears scanning around. Lynn held her bow steady once more, looking around. "Y'all hear that?" she asked, looking ahead and behind them.

"Yea, sounds kinda like…" Judy started, her ears trying to home in on the strange noise. Judy and Lynn then looked at each other with similar wide eyed gazes, blurting out simultaneously, "helicopter rotors!"

In a split second, Lynn managed to look to her right as the sound grew louder, catching a glimpse of a large dragonfly on a collision course with the branch they were on. She attempted to draw her bow, but it was too late as the large winged insect was upon them. Only instead of crashing it landed on top of them, over Nick's position. Screams rang out as the large creature had brought a strong current of wind with it as it perched. Nick's screams were heard most for the dragonfly had him pinned on the branch with its front leg.

Stumbling, Lynn drew her bow once more, firing an arrow in between the insect's wing joints. With a sound akin to roaring the dragonfly recoiled, releasing its press on Nick. The creature clicked its mandibles, its jaws dangerously close to the still supine fox. Nick could only frantically squirm as he tried to fend the creature off with his hatchet, doing his absolute best not to get eaten.

Judy got back on her own feet and attempted to charge the insect down. Instead a blur ran by her, snatching the machete from her paws. Lynn was now charging the insect down, shouting with a fury as she sprang up and drove the blade into the dragonfly's back. Judy saw the opportunity to go for Nick, attempting to pull the fox away as the crazed ocelot did battle with the beast. "Nick! Hang on!" She cried out, rushing under the struggling insect.

"I'm not going anywhere Carrots!" Nick shouted back, watching with wide eyed terror at the creature above him. By this point Lynn had managed to get on the insect's back, fury in her eyes as she slashed off one of its wings. The jungle echoed with the sounds of the battle, Lynn's fierce battle cry mixing with the roaring of the dragonfly.

Judy slid past one of the legs as it came down, coming up just beside her partner. She took hold of him attempting to bring him back on his feet. "I got you Nick, come on!" She shouted, bringing the fox back up and attempting to run from the fight. All for naught, for as soon as they were both on their feet, the insect brought its head down upon them. With a shriek and a scream, the pair was knocked off the branch, plummeting to the jungle below.

"No!" Lynn cried out, her rage at its peak as she brought the machete down on the creature's head. With a crunch she split open the dragonfly's head. It was too late once again as she jumped off the dying insect. She looked over the edge of the branch, panicked and distressed as she tried to look under the canopy. "Nick! Judy!" She called out, her breath ragged as she quickly got back up. Just as the dragonfly began to fall from the branch, she too began to leap down from the tree in the hopes that the pair was ok.

* * *

Nick and Judy screamed as they fell, falling through several layers of leaves and branches. Nick felt himself colliding with a few thin branches, bounding off of them and being turned around in the air. Judy tried desperately to cling to something, anything at all. They looked down, just in time to see the jungle floor. The pair closed their eyes, bracing for the hard and fatal landing.

Instead they felt themselves landing on something else, something silky and light, almost as if the air itself had caught them. Nick opened his eyes slowly, panting and frantically looking around. They somehow managed to survive yet he didn't know why. He heard a loud thud echo out as he tried to look behind him, seeing the hatchet had fallen below. Then the realization dawned on him, he knew what had caught them just as he realized he could not move. A web, they had been caught by a spider's web. Panic came back to him in full force as his nightmare became a reality. He looked to his side to find Judy had landed just out of arm's reach. "Judy!" He called out, still struggling to free himself from the web.

"Nick, please…stop moving," Judy replied, her voice eerily calm and her gaze fixed to something above them. Her expression was that of fear, her eyes silently signaling her distress.

Nick slowly turned to see what it was his partner was seeing, despite screaming internally to not look upon it. There above them, sitting amidst the vast network of webs, sat one lone spider. One gargantuan spider, its body alone being as large as their police cruiser back home. Its long legs were splayed out to form an x, the carapace banded in black and yellow all leading to a silver and gold body. Its appearance, though loud in its arrangement and colors, was offset by pure silence. Without a sound it began to approach them, plucking at its web as it drew closer to the pair.

By this point Nick could no longer remain calm, not that he was at any point. With another scream he tried frantically to free himself once again. The web's strands, though thin, were surprisingly tough and the fox found soon enough that the struggling only ensnared him more.

Judy did her best to maintain her composure, despite the fact that death on eight legs was coming down on her. She felt tears beginning to well up, fear gripping her as the spider inched ever closer. Her nose twitched, as did the rest of her body as she trembled. Their fate was sealed, there would be no escaping now that they were in its web.

"Judy! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Nick apologized, now trying to simply reach for Judy. "I couldn't keep us safe, I couldn't keep you safe! I'm sorry!" he added on, tears forming in his eyes as well.

"It's ok Nick…th-this island is a death trap, it would've gotten us both at some point," She assured him, her voice shaky but calm. She looked over to see him reaching for her, the rabbit in turn trying to do the same now. Her efforts were stopped as three of the spider's long legs came down to her, tapping and prodding at her, as though it was testing her. In silent terror her eyes widened again, shuddering at each time she was prodded.

"No! Stay away from her!" Nick cried out, his fear stifled only by anger. "Take me damn it!" He shouted, hopelessness setting in as the spider ignored him. He looked away, not wanting to see her being taken away from him. Quietly sobbing, he bit his lip and winced, begging for all of this to end.

A shriek rang out…only it wasn't Judy's.

Nick opened his eyes slowly at the sound, his sorrows switching to confusion. He turned his head to see Judy was still there. Her own expression was no longer of fear. The rabbit's gaze was again fixed on the spider and so he too looked up. There, writhing in its spot, the spider continued its strange high pitched shriek. Upon careful observation, the pair could see a lone arrow in the arachnid's abdomen. Again the spider jerked, a second arrow had connected this time closer to the spider's head. With another shriek the spider fell from its spot, the pair screaming as it came down on them.

With a mighty crash the spider came down with the pair falling a short distance away. Scrambling to their feet, Nick and Judy held each other, staring at the fallen spider. The colossal arachnid attempted to scurry back, having trouble doing so as it had broken most of its legs from the fall. It squirmed and whined, its many eyes staring back at the pair. A rustling was heard behind the pair and they turned to see Lynn emerging from the brush. Her gaze was cold, but different from her previous bouts of ferocity. "Lynn, oh thank god, I thought for certain we were-" Nick began, only to stop abruptly as the cat walked past him, picking up the fallen hatchet and making her way to the spider.

The pair watched once more as the cat silently approached the spider, stopping a few feet from its head. They knew what was to happen next and braced for the carnage. There was none to be had, however. Instead Lynn kneeled down slowly, causing the spider to jerk back in a whimper. "Shh shh, I know, I know it hurts," Lynn spoke to the spider softly, leaning against the hatchet. "I was hoping you'd just scurry back up yer lil' web when I had shot ya, but ya fell instead and I'm mighty sorry about that," she told the spider. "Ya didn't hav'ta get involved, really ya didn't, and I thank ya fer catchin' mah friends… I'm so sorry yer legs broke like this, but I couldn't let ya eat em'… but I really was gonna let ya live," she went on, standing back up once the spider had quieted down. "Since ya did save em', and since it wouldn't be right to leave you broken on the ground like this… I'll make this quick, ok?"

Without another word, Lynn lifted the hatchet above her head. In one swift swing, she brought the blade down on the spider's head. A crack echoed out, the spider now silent, gone with a final twitch of its legs. The pair flinched at the sound. Having not looked away since the cat had started apologizing to the spider, they once again found themselves pitying something that had endangered them. A squelching sound followed the execution as the blade of the axe was pried from the spider. Lynn turned to the pair, who were stuck holding each other from the web binding them. Still without a word she walked up to them and began removing the silky web.

Judy broke the silence once the last of the web was removed, "…L-Lynn? Are you…are you o-"

The rabbit's question was cut short as Lynn pulled them both into a hug. Holding them close, she spoke softly, her voice cracking as though she were fighting back the desire to cry. "Please don't go… I only just met y'all yesterday… please don't leave me alone again…"

Judy felt her heart break at Lynn's words. She had entirely forgotten that the cat had been alone for years. All of her odd quirks, her strange behavior, and maybe even her excessive violence were nothing more than a byproduct of her isolation. Whether or not she had told the truth about being the only survivor mattered little, she wasn't well and she needed them. Slowly she brought her paw up, patting Lynn's back and returning the hug, Nick following suit.

After a minute had passed, Lynn let go of the pair, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Come on y'all, it's gon' get dark soon, we gotta hustle," Lynn stated, passing the hatchet back to Nick. She parted some plants nearby and picked up the rest of the equipment, returning the machete to Judy as well.

Hastily the trio made their way through the brush, ignoring the rule of being quiet as the jungle grew steadily darker. Whatever it was that Lynn was hiding became a secondary matter, for now the pair chose to trust her. After the past few times their lives were saved, it was the least they could do, and they hoped in time that Lynn would trust them enough that she would tell them her secret.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry guys, been way overworked as of late, and a car accident on top of that. But here it is, the next chapter, enjoy!**


	10. Fear

**Chapter 9: Fear**

Hasty footsteps met the chirping of crickets, heralding the arrival of dusk. The trio made their way through the brush, not having the time to return to higher ground. Along their path they could hear all manner of creatures beginning to emerge. The denizens of the oncoming night were awakening, replacing the eerie silence of the day.

Lynn began to pant, trying to steady her breath as she ran. "No stoppin' now gang, this ain't just a hike in the woods no more!" She shouted behind her. The cat knew that sundown brought with it an air of panic, as most of the truly vicious carnivores were coming out.

Nick and Judy stayed close behind the agile cat, thanking their police training for the extensive amount of cardio work outs. Nick looked around him carefully as his surroundings grew darker ever so slowly. He could see in the distance just some of the creatures emerging, including those of the eight legged variety. Shaking his head, he refocused on the path ahead, not wanting to think about another encounter with a spider of any kind. Judy listened all around her, hearing several pairs of legs starting to shuffle around that weren't their own. What unnerved her the most was just how many there had to be, almost as if the ants were returning in their direction.

"Lynn! Are those ants I'm hearing?!" Judy called out, looking all around her to see if another army was indeed headed their way.

"If'n you're askin' about all that scurryin' you're hearin', don't worry, they're probably all belongin' to a centipede or two!" Lynn replied, looking back briefly with a nod. "They sure do make a lot o' ruckus, but that ain't the sound we need to be worryin' 'bout!"

"Then what is?!" Nick asked with a shout.

As if answering him, a sudden boom echoed out in the distance, as if an explosion had occurred somewhere. Lynn stopped in her tracks, causing the pair to stop with her. Nick and Judy looked ahead and around them once again, trying to figure out where the thunderous noise had come from. Judy looked to Lynn, gulping nervously, "Wh-what was that?"

Lynn panted softly, gulping as well before turning to the pair. "Few things make that much noise just getting' up, but at this time, I reckon her majesty is awake," Lynn replied, looking ahead carefully.

The pair thought what she had meant briefly. Remembering the morning hike, they recalled Lynn having told them about an emperor scorpion she had called Sheila. They turned to each other, nodding in understanding at what was being mentioned. Judy looked back at Lynn, "would we know if she's approaching?"

"She's dang near impossible to miss," Lynn assured the rabbit, resuming the run. While running, she continued to explain what she meant with the pair close behind her. "Sheila ain't just big, she's way big, one o' the biggest darn things on this whole dadgum island!" she added while bounding up along a few rocks to get a good view ahead. While on her perch, she turned to the pair once more. "N' if'n ya don't see her first, y'all'll definitely hear her, big lady got footsteps like a livin' earthquake."

The pair listened carefully to what Lynn was telling them, nodding as she explained how to identify if they were in close proximity to Sheila. Nick gulped down nervously, thinking about how large the aforementioned scorpion had to be that her movements alone could be that loud.

Without another word the trio made their way through the jungle, staying low and keeping a steady running pace. Every few minutes they would stop as Lynn surveyed the area. The pair took note of how high strung the cat was being about the prospect of encountering Sheila. As they went, they were met with the occasional huntsman spider that Lynn had warned the pair about. Each attempt at their lives, time and time again, thwarted by the protective cat with dismembered spiders left in her wake. Despite her previous sentiments about them being fierce predators, it was clear and obvious to the pair that she was the one on top of the food chain in the jungle.

After what seemed like half an hour of running, the trio came across an opening in the jungle. A fallen tree resided in the center of the opening, the rotting wood partially buried. The area around the log teemed with life as several insects such as millipedes, pill bugs, and cockroaches all scurried about.

Judy couldn't help but wretch at the sight of at least a dozen roaches and larvae sitting around. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers…" she muttered, stepping back slowly.

"Come on Funny Bunny, this ain't no time to be concerned 'bout these here bugs," Lynn stated as she made her way towards the rotting log. Nick followed closely behind, watching each of the other bugs carefully. Judy followed soon after, hesitantly, shuddering as she passed by a few cockroaches. Lynn kept her eyes on every bug present, mostly towards the roaches. "This tree been here for 'bout two years now, I was there when it fell, real scary stuff," Lynn pointed out, ducking under some giant twigs.

"What brought it down?" Judy asked, her own sights refusing to avert from any of the bugs they were passing.

"Sheila brought it down," Lynn replied as she leaped up to a branch to see her surroundings once more. Jumping back down in front of the pair, she continued talking. "The tree was already pretty much dead and half eaten, but when Sheila came through, she brought the whole thing down on accident."

"Accident?" Nick asked incredulously.

"Yep, she wasn't doin' nothin', just walkin', I reckon her claw might've struck it or somethin' or other, next thing I know the whole darn tree comes crashin' down," Lynn added on.

Nick shook his head, trying to make sense of the idea that something that large could exist. It frightened him to know that such a thing did exist and that it was now awake and wandering about.

Lynn then stopped abruptly once more and her ears turned to listen off into the distance. Judy tuned into whatever it was Lynn was hearing, yet all was silent.

"What is it? What do you hear?" Nick asked, looking around carefully once more, hatchet at the ready.

"That's just it Foxy…it's quiet…too quiet," Lynn pointed out. She leapt up to a higher vantage point once more, looking far beyond and listening carefully. Judy nodded in agreement, even the chirping of crickets were absent.

After a moment of silence, the trio could feel the ground shake. Lynn stared out from her perch, her eyes going wide as she leapt back down to the pair once more. "Well gang, good news is, it ain't ants, bad news is we still gotta run!" Lynn shouted as she began sprinting towards the rotting log.

The pair followed suit, panting now from panic at the way Lynn reacted. Judy tried to look over the rocks to see what the cat might've seen. "Lynn, What's going on, is it Sheila?!"

"Nope, still, get in here!" Lynn shouted as she slid into a small cave under the log. The trio clamored into the small hole in the ground, looking back out. Lynn watched as several of the insects outside tried to fit into whatever crevice was present on the log. She observed a lone peppered roach now, seeing the creature opting to ride out what was to come. The ground continued to shake as a flurry of black legs were seen stampeding across the land.

Judy watched wide eyed at what was going on, she couldn't even see the bodies that the legs were leading up to. "Lynn, what are these?!" She shouted, trying to speak over the thunderous stampede.

"These here are harvestmen! Most folks call em' daddy long legs though!" Lynn answered loudly.

"What are they doing?!" Nick asked, watching each of the many long legs passing by.

"I reckon they were aggregatin' earlier n' now they're out to hunt!" Lynn replied, trying to look past the flurry of legs to see if the roach was still there. She managed to spot the roach, seeing that it was still there, trampled, but unmoved. "But I might be wrong!" Lynn added, keeping her eye on the roach.

"Well what do you think it is if they're not hunting?!" Judy shouted, peering out to see if there was an end to the wave of daddy long legs.

"Well, if'n an aggregate gets disturbed by somethin' they think is a threat, the harvestmen would scatter to confuse any would-be predators!" Lynn replied, averting her gaze from the stampede. "N' I reckon that may be the case here, these critters ain't stoppin' fer nothin'!"

"So do you think we're safe, you know, after they all pass?!" Nick asked, looking to Lynn with his hatchet to his chest.

Judy turned to Lynn as well, nodding at Nick's question. "It's gonna get dark, Lynn! Isn't this going to get dangerous?!" she added.

"Well I reckon it'd be darker once this is over but-" Lynn started while looking out once again, finding that all the daddy long legs had passed…but the rumbling hadn't stopped. Feeling the ground, she could feel that all the tremors were now coming from one direction, the opposite of which the daddy long legs had been running from. She held her paw over mouth, stepping back from the mouth of the cave with wide eyed terror. "Get down y'all," Lynn ordered as she pulled the pair lower to the ground. Nick and Judy didn't argue or resist and laid low with their guardian.

The earth continued to tremble even though nothing was in sight. Sudden silence befell the jungle once more, the tremors seemingly having ceased. The trio watched as the roach from earlier rose from its spot, the insect slowly making its way to the tree. It hadn't made more than three steps before an enormous black pincer came down upon it. Feebly the car sized roach screeched, flailing about as it was picked up and carried out of sight. The screeching cut off abruptly with a loud crunching noise. A low growl followed, causing the ground to shake ever so slightly.

Lynn kept herself low, her eyes widening as the roach was snatched up. She kept her paws around Nick and Judy, who had similar expressions on their own faces. The pincer alone was the size of a bus; the pair didn't want to think about the size of the creature it had come from.

After the crunching died down, the rumbling returned. The trio then watched as massive columns passed by, legs of the behemoth clad in black armor. They spoke not a word as the rumbling trailed off, growing distant. Quietly Lynn stood, poking her head out slowly and looking off in the direction the rumbling was now headed to. With just her head she gestured to the pair to come look, leaving the cave. Nick and Judy looked at each other, nodding to one another before making their way out. They stood by the cat and looked off into the distance at what she was staring at. The trio watched as a towering black figure marched onward, descending into the darkness of the jungle. Nick and Judy took mental notes on just how big Sheila was, wide eyed bewilderment plastered on their faces.

Judy stood silently, her eyes not once averting from the shadowy figure until she could see it no more. "So…that was Sheila?" she asked, still awestruck and terrified at what she had seen.

"Yep," Lynn replied flatly. By this point the insects that had hidden themselves in the rotting log began to reemerge, sensing the danger had passed. "N' hopefully we don't have to see her again," Lynn carried on, climbing up the log.

The pair followed Lynn, Judy making quick leaps up the gnarled wood while Nick climbed a more traditional way. At the top of the log, the cat looked out in the direction the colossal scorpion was headed to. With a sigh she looked down to help Nick up. "Come on y'all, last thing we need is for her highness to come back," Lynn remarked.

Nick brushed off the rotten wood fibers from his top and from his fur, realizing the bath was now a fruitless endeavor. With a sigh of his own, he popped his back and turned to Lynn. "You must really dislike Sheila I take it?" Nick asked, having noticed her disdain towards the scorpion.

"I'm scared to death of her," Lynn pointed out, earning a surprised look from the pair. It was astonishing to know the cat was genuinely afraid of something. "She's one o' the only things on this here island I can't kill," She added while making her way towards the other side of the log. "Not only that, but if she starts chasin' ya, yer only hope o' survivin' is duckin' somewhere her claws can't reach, runnin' from her is dang near impossible, she's big, yea, but that don't mean slow, no sir, she don't need to take too many steps 'fore she's on top o' ya, I can guarantee that," Lynn finished her rant, jumping back down to the ground.

Judy listened carefully, looking in the direction the creature had walked off too. "Lynn…you keep saying that she's _one_ of the largest or one of whatever else…are there any other things on this island like her?" she asked. Nick thought about for a moment and nodded, wanting to know the answer himself.

"Oh sure there are, course there's Sheila, then there's ol' Lenny, n' Rosy, n' Eustace, n'-" Lynn began listing off, stopping abruptly. Not only had she stopped talking, she stopped moving altogether. The pair watched her, assuming she was hearing something. Judy listened around her, yet there were no new sounds from before. Nick looked around in the dark, seeing nothing approaching other than the roaches that scurried around seemingly randomly. The pair looked back at Lynn more carefully, seeing she was holding up her fingers as she was listing the names. The thing that caught their attention, however, was how her paw trembled. Shaking her head, she clenched her paw into a fist. "Y'know, th-that's somethin' better told some other time," Lynn hastily blurted out before resuming the trek.

Nick cocked his brow, genuinely curious of what she was going to say. If she was so scared to death of Sheila, what could possibly scare her so much that she couldn't even mention its name? The pair looked at each other, both wanting answers to the shared question in mind.

* * *

The trip back was met with no real dangers, save for the occasional huntsman spider, all left dismembered. A familiar sight greeted the trio, Nick and Judy in particular looking up to see the plane in the tree.

"Man, I did not think I would be so happy to see this tree," Nick remarked, rubbing his face after the strenuous hike.

Judy nodded in agreement; her feet were used to running long distances, but not on such hazardous and uneven terrain.

Lynn stopped them abruptly once more as they walked, her ears twitching. "We ain't safe just yet y'all," she pointed out, her spear in paw.

"More spiders?" Nick asked, clutching the hatchet.

Not a word was spoken, the armed cat merely keeping her vigil as they slowly approached the tree. Another brief pause followed, a sigh leaving her lips as she stabbed the spear into the ground. Abruptly she turned around just as a blur leapt onto her. This time she was prepared for it as she caught a familiar spider. "What did I say 'bout jumpin' on folks like this Spidsy?" she scolded the spider, who in turn was left flailing feebly in the cats grip.

Despite having seen the jumping spider in the morning, it didn't stop the pair from being startled at the surprise attack. Getting caught in a web and being harassed by spiders for most of the evening did not help their disposition towards the pet spider.

"Come on now, y'know you ain't nocturnal ya silly lil' thing," she stated, setting the spider down. Spidsy looked up at the cat, tilting side to side as he did in the morning. "Now run along now, y'hear? I don't want you out here at this time o' night, sweetheart, I don't want you gettin' eaten by nothin', ok?" she continued to scold, pointing to a tree nearby, "Go on, git."

At that, the spider turned to the tree and scurried off. It was still questionable whether or not the spider understood her, but it certainly seemed that way.

"You really are worried about that spider, huh?" Judy asked, still cautiously watching the spider.

"I worry about that lil' guy like he's one o' my own," Lynn pointed out. "Y'see, jumpin' spiders are…what was that word again? Di-…Dire-…Diurnal! Yea, there we go. They's diurnal see, the opposite o' nocturnal, n' there's plenty o' larger things that come out at night that'd eat 'em," Lynn added on, approaching the winding vine they walked on to get to the jungle floor to begin with.

The trip back up the tree was met with absolutely no other confrontations. Soon enough the trio approached the entangled plane. After entering the wreckage, Lynn did a quick survey to make sure there weren't any unwanted visitors. The all clear was met with sighs of relief on everyone's part as they set down the food and water. Lynn took all the weapons and put them back into the box before heading out to recoat the repellant.

Nick and Judy made themselves comfortable on the pile of blankets and pillows, lying back with a stretch. "Wow…that trip was something else," Nick pointed out, exhaustion in his voice while he rubbed the right side of his head.

Judy nodded in agreement, sitting up to rub at her feet. "We couldn't even stay clean for more than half an hour," the rabbit pointed out, sighing as she worked the aching feeling in her feet out. "Maybe we would've been better off staying in the plane."

"I'll remind us not to go back to the river for a while," Nick jested, yawning as he placed his paws behind his head.

Judy joined her partner, lying close beside him. A pause followed as the pair stared blankly at the cabin ceiling. "That was uncharacteristic of us…" Judy stated at last.

"What was?" Nick asked, looking to his partner.

"How we just…gave up like that," Judy pointed out. "When we were caught in that web…we just gave up," she added on.

"Yea, that was definitely not us…well, not you…I gave up a lot before I met you," Nick pointed out.

"You still give up a lot, Wilde, you give up every time we have to file paperwork," Judy teased.

The fox chuckled at her retort, turning to his side. Judy followed suit, meeting his gaze.

"Sly bunny."

"Dumb Fox."

Another chuckle followed, this time from both of them. Nick poked his partner's nose, earning a playful tap to his forehead. Without another word, the pair drifted off into sleep.


	11. The Gardens of Lenny

**Chapter 10: The Gardens of Lenny**

The thunderous clanging of metal on metal once again rang out within the wreckage of the plane. With a groan, Nick arose from the ground slowly as soreness took hold of him once more. He realized he hadn't fully recovered from the arrival to the island and that he had overexerted himself further. His hands pat the spot beside him, finding that his partner wasn't there. With a jump he opened his eyes and looked beside him where Judy should've been.

"Over here sleepyhead," came a familiar voice behind him.

Turning around the fox saw his partner, who held two tea kettles. "Carrots, were you the one making all that racket?" Nick asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"Yep, Lynn wanted me to wake you, I got up way ahead of time and did some looking around," Judy stated as she set the pots down. "But I couldn't really see much except for this fire outside."

Nick shot up from where he was, "Fire? There's a fire outside?!" Nick questioned, getting to his feet hastily.

"Relax Nick, Lynn has this fire roast thing going on, apparently it's too humid up here for the tree itself to catch fire," Judy assured him. "She has a pretty neat setup out there, and she's roasting that water bug we brought," she added on, setting the kettles down and walking to the door, "come outside for breakfast."

Nick spoke not a word, listening to what his partner had to say. With an annoyed groan he followed her out of the plane. The sun had barely started to come out, leaving the tree top dimly lit with the flickering of flames. Lynn did indeed have an impressive setup and Nick couldn't help but admire the clever fire pit. The fire itself was suspended from the branch on what seemed to be a large sheet of metal that had been beaten into a bowl shape. The bowl was held up by way of some support structures from the plane's chassis. More of the support rods and coils were used to make a rotisserie, in which thick cuts of water bug were mounted for cooking. Lynn herself was turning the rotisserie ever so slowly, humming while she cooked. Occasionally she would reach over to a smaller bowl made of sheet metal filled with a watery brown liquid, using a leaf to coat the water bug in it.

"What do you got there, Wild Cat?" Nick asked while sniffing at the air. There was a distinct peanut smell coming from the fire.

"Wild Cat? Is that s'pose to be my nickname now?" Lynn asked in return, giggling as she brought the bowl over to Nick. The contents had a sweet smell to it with what looked like chunks of crushed peanuts in it. "It's just some tree sap I got that I watered down, boiled, n' then I put some crushed peanuts in there!" Lynn boasted as she then reached under the large bowl of the fire pit, procuring the shell of a large peanut. The shell was torn open. One peanut missing a half, presumably used for the glaze, the other was still whole, about the size of a football.

"I am never going to get over how absurdly large everything is here," Nick stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yea, took me a bit to get used to it mahself, but hey, more food, right? Least ya can't starve here," Lynn resumed her cooking and after another minute she pulled the rotisserie rod off the fire. Carefully she slid the cuts of water bug onto platters, passing one to Nick. She then piled another platter with grilled vegetables and passed it to Judy. "Mmm, here's to morning dinner!" Lynn proclaimed, biting into her own share of water bug.

It hadn't occurred to the pair that they had effectively skipped dinner during the night. They hoped it wouldn't be a regular occurrence. Regardless, it was nice to have a quiet meal in the morning.

After taking his last bite of water bug, Nick picked at his teeth before looking to Lynn. "So, what suicidal trip are we taking today?" he asked jokingly, earning him yet another of Judy's punches.

"Well, I reckon today we'll do somethin' less dangerous, that there yesterday was all kinds of trouble," Lynn replied, getting up from her spot to start putting the rotisserie away. "Nope, I reckon we'll go for a picnic today, go on n' visit ol' Lenny."

Nick and Judy looked up and then at each other, hearing one of the names that Lynn had listed the evening prior. Judy set down the leaf which previously held her food to, standing up to speak, "you mentioned that name before, i-is Lenny…dangerous?"

"Course not!" Lynn replied cheerily. "Lenny's a gentle giant, you'll like him for sure!" She assured the pair. "Just gotta pack a few food items n' what not then we can head on over to him!" Lynn squeaked as she began walking back to the plane.

"You say that as if you know exactly where he is all the time," Nick stated, walking back alongside Judy.

"Yea, does he usually just stay in one place or do you have some way of tracking him?" Judy inquired.

"He's always in one place," Lynn replied, entering the galley to gather some fruits and vegetables along with the fish jerky. She then juggled some water bottles, humming cheerfully.

"And you just know this?" Nick asked.

"Course I do!" Lynn replied once more, tossing the bottles up into the air before catching them to pack them.

The pair simply looked at one another, shrugging to each other. It was a curious thing that she didn't want to add an explanation. Regardless, they chose to go along with it. After packing some homemade knapsacks Lynn had made from leaves, the trio disembarked.

"Hey Lynn, are you sure we don't need any weapons?" Judy asked, looking back at the plane.

"Nah, where we're headin', the biggest danger would be bees," Lynn pointed out.

"Oh good, giant bees, we're definitely not gonna need to be armed for something that flies and has giant stabbing stingers that could likely kill us in one jab," Nick remarked sarcastically.

"Ah don't worry, Foxy, s'long as we don't go near their hives they won't bother us none," Lynn assured the pair. "Now see, lotta folks don't like them their bees, but they're mighty important, see? They make sure the plants n' trees get that there pollimanation n' what not, so we can get flowers n' healthy trees!" Lynn added while practically skipping along.

* * *

This time the trio met with a branch that lead to a cliff nearby, dismounting from the branch and hiking along a trail of thick intertwining roots. The only insects in sight were several caterpillars, each an array of striking colors. As they went by, Lynn listed off each caterpillar and what moth or butterfly they belonged to.

"Seriously though, are you cheating? Are you actually some kind of robot?" Nick asked, legitimately curious.

"Nope, just all from memory n' such!" Lynn assured the fox, picking up what was supposed to be a twig that might as well have been a normal branch.

Judy looked to her side, spotting an unusual larva that seemed to resemble a giant blond wig. "Ok, what's that one then?" she asked, pointing to the caterpillar.

"Flannel moth caterpillar, kinda looks like my cousin's toupee," Lynn joked.

"And that one?" Nick asked, pointing to another caterpillar, this one a burnt orange color with two black spots resembling eyes.

"Spicebush Swallowtail!" Lynn replied cheerfully.

The trio then stopped as a particularly gruesome caterpillar began to crawl pass them. The creature was black and thorny with white patches along its side, covered in tendril-like protrusions which also seemed to harbor thorns.

"And…that thing?" Nick asked while backing away slowly.

"Brahmin Moth, ugly fella ain't he? Strange though, he's gon' grow up to be a real purty moth!" Lynn pointed out.

The trio carefully walked past the horrendous insect, resuming their trek. After an hour, the scenery shifted, the trees growing mossier and more vine ridden. Nick and Judy noted that the area they were in was seemingly growing darker, looking up to find the canopy growing denser.

"Uh, Lynn? Are you absolutely certain this place is safe to be in?" Judy asked, peering out to see if there were any hostile insects.

"Yes'm, it's jus' darker here is all," Lynn assured the rabbit, carrying on unfazed.

The pair looked at each other before continuing on. The further they went the darker the jungle seemed to become. If not for Lynn's presence the pair wouldn't have delved any deeper and turned tail at the slightest movements in the dark.

"Now, when we get to Lenny, try not to freak out, ok?" Lynn instructed as she nimbly climbed over a large segment of roots. "Y'all don't wanna startle anythin' there, especially the bees, definitely don't wanna startle the bees!"

"I still say we should've brought a weapon," Nick stated, looking back to see if something might be following them. His paranoia only seemed to grow since the events of yesterday, if not towards Lynn it was the jungle he grew wary of.

"Pfft, a weapon wouldn't have done us any good, Foxy, trust me on that, you make one bee mad n' the whole daggum colony will be after ya, n' there ain't nothin' you could do to stop'em from bitin' n' stingin'!" Lynn pointed out, reaching the top of a small ledge. "Well y'all, here we are, ol' Lenny…"

The pair climbed to the top of the ledge, standing up slowly as they caught sight of the creature known as Lenny. Their mouths were agape, awe stricken at the sight of the colossal entity residing in the sunlit clearing. They looked carefully at the beetle, its head half buried in the dirt, the back of the white and brown carapace torn open with one front wing having gone missing. The giant was still, its branch-like legs unmoving, its body seemingly hollow and entangled in vines and roots from nearby trees.

"…Lenny…is dead?" Judy spoke up, eyeing the gargantuan corpse curiously.

"Yep!" Lynn replied cheerfully.

"You brought us out here to see a giant dead bug?" Nick asked, scratching his head.

"Course not, we're here for what's in Lenny!" Lynn replied with just as much enthusiasm as ever.

The pair looked at each other once more, growing more curious if not confused. They followed Lynn up to the head of Lenny, which alone was an impressive sight to behold. They watched as the cat then kneeled before the massive entity, her head down solemnly. It quickly became apparent to them that she was paying her respects.

"Ol' Lenny, as we tread upon your body today know we do not do so out o' disrespect, but to share in the gift you have given to the world," Lynn stated while placing her hand over her heart and then to the head of Lenny. She then stood up, climbing atop the shell carefully.

"Lynn, I don't know if I'm comfortable with this," Judy pointed out, hesitantly approaching the head.

"And what was that about a gift?" Nick asked, trying to see over the arch of Lenny's shell to figure out what could be in there.

"Tell me, have y'all heard o' the great circle o' life?" Lynn asked before continuing her climb.

"The what?" the pair asked simultaneously.

"It's an ol' philosophy from ancient times, things live, they grow old, they die, and that which was gives back to the world. Ol' Lenny here, he's made a contribution that could very well be bigger than he ever was," Lynn explained in a surprisingly calm tone.

At that, the pair hesitantly began to climb atop the head of Lenny, curiosity having gotten the better of them. Hiking up to the arch of Lenny's back, the trio peered out into the vast open carapace. The hollow cavity was far from being empty, as it was filled from edge to edge with large and vibrant jungle flowers. The stadium sized corpse was now serving as a garden. Giant bees and butterflies flew over-head, flying between flowers, tending to the garden that was Lenny.

Judy looked on with wide eyes, Lenny's size was already astonishing to her, this was much more than she had expected. "It's…beautiful…" she managed to say, completely entranced by the majestic scenery.

Nick was just as astonished as his partner, rubbing his eyes just to make certain that he wasn't in fact dreaming. He tried to look over the edge to see the bottom of the garden, only to find that it was overgrown with thick roots and grass. Then he looked to the remaining wing of the corpse, which was held in place with vines that also harbored flowers. Nick soon found that he hadn't said anything, being left completely speechless.

Bzzzz.

The trio looked to their left, finding that a large bee had landed beside them. The giant bee buzzed its wings while scratching its abdomen with its hind legs.

Nick jumped with a gasp, snapping out of his trance and hiding behind Lynn for protection. "Lynn, bee!" he stated frantically, pointing at the large insect.

"Relax, Foxy, she's just restin', she ain't gon' hurt no one, n' what did I say bout' freakin' out?" Lynn chastised the fox. With that, the cat set down her knapsack and walked up to the resting bee. "Well ain't you a cutiepatootie, y'all tuckered out, huh? I got just the thing for you," she told the bee, going back to her knapsack and procuring a blueberry and a canteen of water. The cat pulled a leaf from a nearby vine and curled it into a bowl shape, pouring the water in while crushing the blueberry. She swished the contents around before walking back, presenting the sweetened water to the bee. The pair watched as the bee seemingly climbed into the leaf, drinking the contents.

"Huh…you know, she's actually kind of adorable," Judy pointed out, watching the bee.

"Yea, still not going near it though," Nick stated.

Three more bees suddenly landed to where Lynn was kneeling, all clamoring around her leaf bowl. "Woo-wee, looks like I'm mighty popular now," Lynn commented with a giggle.

"You sure they're not going to do anything?" Nick asked once more, backing away from the sudden feeding frenzy.

"Positive!" Lynn replied before getting back up. She dusted off some pollen that was sprinkled on to her when the bees landed, leaving the bees to the leaf bowl. "Now, how's 'bout that picnic?" she suggested, leading the pair to a different segment of Lenny's back.

The trio set out one of the plane's blankets, setting down the knapsacks. They began laying out the food, Nick cautiously looking around to make certain the bees weren't coming up on them. Lynn hummed while setting out beaten metal plates, piling them with appropriate snacks for each of them.

Judy sat down and looked around once more, it was still absolutely breathtaking to see the vast garden. "When you said we were going on a picnic, I really wasn't expecting someplace this nice," she commented, biting down on some hay.

"Yea, figured we would just be hanging out in the trees or something," Nick added, watching the bees float around alongside some giant butterflies. "Do you come here often?" Nick asked, nibbling on some fish jerky.

"Yep!" Lynn replied cheerfully. She sat back and peered out across the great expanse of flowers. "It was nice too... I wasn't really feelin' all that well when I gone n' wandered off from the plane, see? Not sick or nothin', just sorta down in the dumps, y'know?" Lynn turned her head towards the bees as she continued, "I saw one o' them there bees flyin' around n' I thought maybe I'll find some flowers… boy did I get more than I could ask fer," the cat added on with a giggle.

Judy nodded as she heard the cat's story, looking around the garden once more. "Just had one of those days, huh? Feeling all alone?" Judy asked.

Lynn didn't respond at first, the pair watched her face curiously. She seemed to be trying to remember something, her eyes looking towards the ground as she let out a sigh. "Yea… somethin' like that" Lynn replied flatly, her legs tucking in as she held her knees. "That n'… I sorta just… got around to acceptin' I might never leave this island, but in the least, I'm stuck among the beauty o' nature… even if it is monstrous n' large… ya really can't go denyin' that it's beautiful."

Nick and Judy were taken aback at Lynn's philosophical side, blinking a few times to make sure that it was indeed Lynn who was speaking. "Wow, that's uh… pretty deep there," Nick pointed out, feeling concern over Lynn's view on their situation. "But hey, since we're all here now, we can come up with ways to get off this rock, right?" Nick assured her.

Judy stared at Lynn's expression, cocking her brow at the cat. Lynn continued to peer out across the garden, her mind seemingly adrift in recollection. Judy gently laid a hand on the thinking cat's shoulder, "r-right?"

Lynn snapped out of her trance with a small jump, staring back at the pair, "Huh, wha-? O-oh, yea, definitely," Lynn answered hastily.

Nick stared at her quizzically for a moment, deciding against asking what was on her mind in case it might trigger another episode. "So, any ideas for getting off this rock?" Nick asked, biting down on some fish jerky.

Judy let out a sigh as she reclined, "I still say we should build a raf-"

Her sentence was cut off before she could finish the last word. "No! No rafts!" Lynn shouted in panic. The cat quickly covered her mouth with both paws, staring wide eyed at the pair who returned her gaze. "I…I mean…just…no, no rafts," Lynn stammered, rubbing her face as she turned away from them.

Nick gulped nervously before speaking, "Ok…no rafts, we are definitely not doing that," he assured her. He was more than a little curious at what caused her to freak out so suddenly. Obviously it wasn't a fear of water seeing as she went fishing yesterday, and even dived to kill a water bug.

Lynn winced hard, seemingly fighting back tears. She wiped her eyes with her paws before taking a deep breath. "S-sorry y'all, I just don't fancy tryin' to sail out when lord knows what's swimmin' around out there," she tried to explain.

The two officers hadn't thought about the possibility of something being in the surrounding water. Nick recalled his encounter with the monster crab from their first day. That was only a crab, he didn't want to think about what other water dwelling creature might have been there.

Judy thought a little more carefully, however, specifically at Lynn freaking out from just the suggestion of building a raft. She analyzed what had just happened carefully. What brought her to tears? Why would Lynn freak out at just mentioning a raft? Unless... "She already tried that," she muttered to herself.

"Come again?" Lynn asked, as she wiped her eyes one last time.

"Huh? Oh! N-no, nothing, just thinking to myself here," Judy stammered.

Nick looked at his partner, having heard what she said he couldn't help but wonder if she found out something.

Judy nodded, knowing there would be a time in the evening when Lynn wouldn't be close by. "Hey, for now, let's just enjoy this picnic, ok?" she cheerfully told Lynn.

The ocelot smiled and nodded, "o-ok! Yea, I reckon I'd like that."

The three of them continued to eat in relative silence, the only sounds accompanying them being the buzzing of nearby bees. Lynn occasionally stopped to identify certain butterflies that came near, going back to her tour guide mode.

"N' that there blue one is called a blue morpho!" the cat cheerfully stated while pointing to a large bright blue butterfly sitting on a nearby flower. "I reckon that one has been here since, well, since I've been on the island!" she added, tilting her head.

"Wow, is that right?" Judy asked as she watched the butterfly.

"Y'know, it's s'ppose to be weird though," Lynn stated as she eyed the bug. "Since I've been on this island…I reckon I've seen the same exact bug a few times…like that there morpho," she pointed out, specifically pointing to a missing segment from its hind leg. "I don't reckon that's coincidence or what not, but since I've been here, I've seen this same morpho like I said, n' that there leg bein' gone is why I know," she continued. "Blue morphos, or fer that matter, most bugs have really short life spans…"

"Well…how long is that blue morpher supposed to be live?" Nick asked before taking a bite out of water bug.

"Morpho, Foxy, it's pronounced morpho, n' it's only s'ppose to live for 'bout a hundred n' fifteen days," Lynn pointed out.

At this Judy's eyes grew wide, "wait, but…you've been here for seven years, how is that possible?" Judy asked as she looked back and forth between the butterfly and Lynn.

"Well, that's sorta the thing, see? I stopped questionin' how weird it is," Lynn answered, hunching over in the fetal position. She chuckled as she went on, "I mean, y'all've seen the stuff goin' on 'round here, these here bugs are already beyond normal, so why question that they're also livin' longer too?"

The pair nodded. There really wasn't much point in questioning it, especially since they couldn't even answer why they were so large to begin with.

"So, Lynn, what exactly is Lenny anyhow?" Nick asked, looking around once more. "And how come there's a whole garden growing inside him?" He added on.

"Ol' Lenny here is a goliath beetle, pretty fittin' name, huh?" Lynn replied cheerfully. "As fer the garden, I reckon there were seeds in Lenny's gut b'fore the big fella kicked the bucket, his corpse decomposed n' the seeds started springin' to life when his wing got torn off," she replied again, taking a drink of water. "It's either that, or the seeds popped while he was still livin' n' that's what got him."

"That's…pretty morbid, I like the first suggestion better," Judy stated.

The ocelot nodded in agreement, "Yea, I like that first idea too." Lynn stood up and looked around for a brief moment, peering out into the garden. "Y'all stay right here and don't freak out when a bug comes crawlin'," she told the two officers before leaping down to the overgrown floor.

"Where is she going?" Judy asked while peering into the garden as well, uncertain as to where the cat was headed.

"No clue, but hey, I need to ask you something," the fox said while leaning towards her. "Y'know, about the way she just absolutely lost it when we suggested a raft?" he asked her without actually saying the question, all the while looking out to see if Lynn was nearby.

"Yea, about that," Judy said, her own eyes locked into the flowers for any sign of the strange cat. "I think she already attempted leaving by raft," She told him.

"Ok, and?" the fox pressed on.

"Well, you remember how she stopped listing names last night, when she was naming the other really gigantic stuff on this island?" Judy asked her partner. "I'm starting to think that there is something in the water around this island she isn't telling us about."

Nick nodded in thought, he was starting to see the big picture himself. Something had stopped Lynn from leaving by water before. Whatever it was, it didn't just scare her, it absolutely traumatized her.

Before the conversation could continue, a rustling came from the leaves ahead of them. Lynn emerged, having in one paw a rather large white flower. "Well Funny Bunny, I didn't think it'd be here, but here it is!" Lynn proclaimed as she passed the flower to the rabbit.

Judy stared at it briefly, taking in the shape of the flower and its color. She cocked a brow as she took it in her own paws, giving it a sniff. "Oh there is no mistaking it… it's vanilla," Judy stated before taking a bite of the petals. "Mmm, sweet cheese and crackers… I'm really starting to miss ice cream," Judy said while chewing on the flower.

Nick could only watch, amused at the spectacle. "What I would give for some blueberry sorbet," he said with a sigh.

"Ugh, I would kill for any kind of ice cream, been waaaay too long," Lynn said with her own sigh.

The trio contemplated in silence, thinking about the society they had been unwillingly been removed from. Nick and Judy looked at Lynn, who stared into the sky. Her expression was that of longing. Wincing, she wiped her eyes before the tears could come.

Lynn looked back up into the sky, shielding her eyes and looking towards the sun. "Well, anyhow, I reckon the sun is juuuust in the right spot up there to let us know we need ta go," Lynn pointed out. "Gotta mosey on back b'fore the night crowd come stalkin'," she added while packing away their things.

Nick and Judy didn't need to know more to start packing as well, not wanting to have another event like last night. Quickly and quietly the trio set out back to the jungle, leaving behind the massive body of the goliath beetle named Lenny. The path they had come from had seemingly grown even darker, and notably noisier as all manner of scurrying could be heard not too far off.

* * *

All was quiet as the trio returned to the plane. Unexpectedly, the evening was just as pleasant as the day had been. Lynn greeted her spider companion, still much to the discomfort of Nick. The fox and the rabbit made their way into the plane as Lynn closed the hatch behind them in preparation of applying her repellent.

Nick and Judy sat themselves amidst the pile of pillows and blankets, listening for Lynn as she walked about the plane's hull. Specifically, they were listening for when she was furthest away from their location.

"So, what do you think?" Nick asked his partner. "Do you think we should try and press her for information now?"

Judy shook her head, "I don't think it's safe just yet, she trusts us, but I don't think she trusts us enough to tell us everything," she answered while laying back on the blankets. "For now, we should just build up our trust with her, I still don't want to risk freaking her out," the rabbit added while fluffing the pillow beneath her head.

Nick followed suit and reclined on the spot beside her. "So I guess leaving by water is going to be trickier than we thought," Nick commented.

"Yea…but then again trying to sail back to Zootopia without knowing which way it is wouldn't have worked out to begin with," Judy said with a sigh.

A brief silence followed at the realization that leaving was going to be much more difficult. Nick looked beside him at Judy, "don't worry Carrots…we'll figure something out, I'm sure of."

"That's surprisingly optimistic of you," Judy teased with a smile.

"Yea, well, after what happened yesterday, we're still alive so a brighter outlook on things wouldn't hurt," Nick stated as he closed his eyes. "Good night Carrots."

"Good night Nick."


	12. Acclimation

**Chapter 11: Acclimation**

 _Day four._

"No no, that right there ain't a grasshopper, it be a katydid," Lynn advised the pair as they observed the intruder outside the plane.

"What did Katy do?" Nick asked as he held the hatchet to his chest.

"No, Nick, katydid is what the bug is called, I used to see them all over Bunnyburrow," Judy interjected.

"N' it might not look it, but thems katydids are predatory," Lynn stated as she got the machete ready. With that, she stepped out of the plane and closed the hatch behind her.

The pair watched as the cat approached the large bug from behind the hatch. Mere seconds passed, Nick and Judy's faces cringing as they observed the barbaric display Lynn had with the katydid. They backed away from the hatch as Lynn returned, panting and covered in insect guts.

"Well, that's that," Lynn said plainly as she wiped her blade on a rag. "Y'all want breakfast?" the cat suggested as she made her way to the galley.

A small tray of food was prepared as the trio sat down for a quiet breakfast, eating in relative silence. Swallowing a mouthful of fish jerky, Nick finally spoke.

"So, Wild Cat, how come your repellant didn't keep that katy-whatever from the plane?" he asked before taking another bite of fish jerky.

Lynn quickly swallowed her own mouthful of jerky to answer. "Mm, yea, see, not all buggy bugs keep away, it only works so well," Lynn answered.

"Guess it isn't all so easy then," Judy stated, nibbling on some hay. "So how do you sleep knowing it isn't really foolproof?" the rabbit asked.

"Oh, uh…see, I hadn't rightly slept all that much since I met y'all, or even really b'fore I met y'all either," Lynn answered, scratching her head. "I just lightly doze for a sec and snap awake," she added cheerfully.

Nick and Judy found themselves staring incredulously at their guardian once more. "Lynn, you have got to be kidding me?" Judy blurted as she set her food down. "You could, y'know, at least wake one of us to take watch or something!" Judy told the cat.

"Look Wild Cat, I know you want to protect us and all, but if we're gonna be here a while we need to be able to watch each other's backs," Nick stated as he sat up.

"As of now, we're a team, the three of us, ok?" Judy told Lynn, sliding up to sit beside her. "If you're working yourself to exhaustion, you couldn't possibly keep protecting us like you've been."

Lynn stared dumbfounded at the two officers, nodding in compliance with a smile. "Yea, y'all're right 'bout that," the cat agreed, standing up. "But if'n y'all wantin' to watch my back, yer gonna have to get used to bein' here," Lynn told the pair with her paws on her hips.

"Let me guess, time for a training montage?" Nick asked jokingly.

"Yea, pretty much," Lynn replied enthusiastically.

* * *

 _Day seven._

Kick after kick, Judy made her way up a series of branches and vines. With a final jump, she landed in front of Nick and Lynn. "How was that?" she asked, panting and wiping sweat from her face.

"Clocked you at thirty two seconds," Nick said with his arms crossed.

"Thirty three for me, I was countin' that second you took to git on the bottom branch," Lynn told the rabbit.

"Alright, not bad for a mammal that isn't arboreal, huh?" Judy asked with a confident smile.

"I'll say, shucks, ya even managed to shave off a whole ten seconds since yesterday!" Lynn told the rabbit officer with a smile. She then turned to Nick, "alright Foxy, it's your turn!"

"I may not be a grey fox, but I think I can top off her time here," Nick boasted before jumping his way down the tree.

Judy looked over the edge, taking a deep breath. "Alright Nick! On your mark, get set, go!" she signaled to the fox.

Nick darted his way up the branch, unable to jump higher than his partner, but making quick work of climbing the vines. With one last pull, he reached the checkpoint, panting heavily. "Well?" he asked simply as he pulled his tank top off to cool down.

"Thirty three seconds on the dot, same as Funny Bunny," Lynn told the panting fox.

"Not bad Slick, I was starting to think you were falling behind," Judy teased with a snicker.

"Don't count on it Carrots," Nick stated with a grin.

* * *

 _Day ten_.

Nick uttered a grunt as he tossed the spear in his paw. He watched as the blade tipped implement sailed through the air, colliding against the tree with an echoing thud. Around the same spot, that had been stripped of the bark, stuck out other various projectiles all on a crudely painted target. "A little more to the left," Nick remarked as he massaged at his wrist.

"Techniques gettin' better though," Lynn assured the fox.

Nodding, Nick made his way to the battered tree. Steadily he removed the various projectiles from the tree ranging from arrows, knives, and the spear he had thrown. Gathering them, he brought them back to his starting point. "Ready Carrots?" he asked his partner, passing the arrows to her.

Judy took the arrows and put them in the quiver on her back, "of course," she replied. Standing where Nick stood before, she readied an arrow and drew the bow, inhaling deeply. Exhaling slowly, she loosed the arrow, landing just shy of a bullseye. "Bam," the rabbit whispered with a smile.

"Woo, nice shot Funny Bunny!" Lynn cheered while clapping.

Nick whistled in admiration, smiling to his partner. "Don't go thinking I'm gonna start calling you Deadeye or something, Carrots," he told her.

"I wouldn't want it anyway, I'm used to Carrots," Judy stated while drawing another arrow.

* * *

 _Day fourteen_.

With a grunt and a heave, Nick and Judy pulled on the rope in their paws. Thrashing about the river with a spear lodged in its side was a jungle perch; nearly quadruple the fox officer's size. Lynn merely stood close by, smiling as she watched the pair struggle to bring the massive fish ashore. "Dig your heels in y'all!" Lynn shouted to the officers.

"Trying!" Judy snapped back at the cat, pulling with all her might.

With a fierce battle cry, Nick jerked at the rope, pulling the fish closer to shore. "Ngh, Carrots, kill the thing, I got the rope!" he grunted out, pulling and straining on the rope.

Judy quickly let go of the rope, getting the bow and arrows ready. Without missing a beat, she quickly drew and loosed an arrow, striking the perch dead on its eye as it thrashed.

The sudden shock brought the fish to a halt just enough for Nick to quickly heave the fish unto shore. Once on land, the fish resumed its thrashing, splashing up muddy water. Leaping to his feet, the fox grabbed the hatchet off the ground and brought the blade down on the fish. A crunch rang out as Nick pierced the head of the perch, causing it to jerk into a stop.

Lynn clapped at the display, applauding the pair as she walked up to the dead fish. "From spearin' to killin' y'all clocked at one n' a half minutes," Lynn told the pair, beaming a proud smile at the two of them.

"Woohoo!" Judy cheered out enthusiastically, panting as she looked over the fish.

"Gonna have an awesome dinner tonight," Nick stated, panting as well with a big smile on his muzzle.

* * *

 _Day eighteen_.

Judy looked up at the great expanse of stars above her, leaning against the spear in her paws as she stood atop the wreckage of the plane. A sigh left her lips, staring into the night sky in admiration. She then brought her focus to the moon, keeping track of where it was. By this point she had learned to judge the time from where it was positioned. She estimated that she had been out on watch for the last three hours. Nodding, Judy climbed down into the plane through the large tear.

Entering the candle lit back end of the plane, she walked up to Nick who was soundly asleep. Just behind him lay Lynn, also asleep, reclined against a chair while snoring quietly. Judy knelt down and gently shook her partner. "Nick, your turn for watch," she whispered to him.

Nick groaned as he was shook, but opened his eyes all the same. With a few blinks, he sat up with a yawn. "Three hours already, huh?" he asked as he stood up, walking over to the box Lynn had stored the weapons in.

"Mmhm, don't forget to wake Lynn in three hours," Judy reminded her partner, laying down to rest. She stopped to look over to Lynn once more, smiling warmly. "On second thought, just wake me again," She told her partner.

"Oh? Why do you want another shift?" Nick asked his partner, arming himself with the hatchet.

"Because, look at her," Judy replied as she gestured over to Lynn. "She deserves a longer rest, don't you think?" she asked Nick, smiling up at him.

Nick returned the smile, nodding in agreement. "Alright, I'll wake you in three hours then," he told the rabbit, resting the hatchet on his shoulder and walking out.

* * *

 _Day twenty one_.

The crack of wood being struck rang out throughout the treetop. Standing at the edge of the plane's wing stood Nick in a white tank top and beige shorts. Wiping sweat off his brow with one paw, hatchet in the other, he let out a sigh. He then tightened the wraps around his palms, wanting to avoid chafing his pads on the handle. The morning had only begun for him as he placed another log in front of him. With a swift swing, he brought the blade down, splitting the small log.

"Working hard there, Slick?" Judy asked him as she walked behind her partner, dressed in her own tank top paired with a ripped up skirt for ease of movement. She held a coiled rope in one paw, a makeshift shovel slung over her shoulder.

"Well someone has to make this wood usable for a cooking fire," Nick replied as he tugged at his tank top to let some air in. "Where you headed off to?" the fox asked while reclining on the hatchet's handle.

"Down to the jungle floor, Lynn said she planted a potato down there a few months before she met us," Judy replied while holding up the rope in her paws. "Wanna help me get it?" she asked her partner.

"Of course," Nick told her, smiling as he tossed aside the hatchet onto the pile of firewood he had chopped up.

Three weeks. Three weeks had come and passed now since the pair had landed on the island of giants. Twenty one days, which felt needlessly long, yet not one second had felt wasted. With Lynn's guidance, they grew accustomed to traversing the safe end of the island, only ever going to the river with Lynn. The pair knew that they couldn't rely on Lynn forever, to this end they learned what they could. If they were going to live long enough to be rescued or to come up with a way to leave, they had to learn to survive.

Upon reaching the jungle floor, Judy's ears perked up and seemed to follow a subtle noise in the distance. "Heads up!" she shouted as she caught the blur of Lynn's pet spider, Spidsy. "Good morning to you too," Judy greeted the spider, giggling as she set the small flailing arachnid down.

"Blech, I'll never get over seeing these giant spiders, that's for certain," Nick stated as he watched the jumping spider leap off towards the surrounding trees.

"Ah suck it up, Slick, at least the worst ones only come out at night," Judy stated as she walked over to a stick in the ground.

The protruding marker was colored with paints made from the local flowers. With a grunt, Judy began to dig at the ground. Nick stood by her, holding the plant by its stem and jerking at it every few seconds. With their teamwork, they uprooted the mighty spud.

Nick held the potato up, cupping his other paw under the bulbous root. "Man, this thing weighs more than you do, Carrots," he remarked as Judy set about to making a rope binding to keep it on the fox's back. "Not nearly as adorable though," he joked, earning a second punch to his arm.

"What did I say about the cute remarks?" Judy chided.

"Yea yea, you said not to call you-" Nick started before his ears picked up the distinct sound of something fast approaching.

Within a split second, Nick dropped the potato and turned to the oncoming emerald blur. With a yelp and a grunt he found himself under the snapping mandibles of a tiger beetle. Judy quickly recovered from reeling back, taking the shovel and swinging with all her might, knocking the beetle off her partner. Hastily the fox leapt to his feet as his partner passed the shovel to him. He made a swift downward stroke, which was followed by the sickening crunch of the beetle's head being caved in.

Panting, Nick slung the potato to his back once more, resting the shovel to his shoulder. "Huh, to think this was still a problem for us a week or two ago," he remarked while watching the still flailing body of the tiger beetle.

"Don't get all cocky about it just yet, Slick, this was still a close call," Judy told him, panting as she looked over her partner. "Anything hurting?" she asked while patting him down.

"Nah, crick in my back, but I'm pretty sure that's from all the chopping I was doing," Nick replied with a smirk.

With that the pair left the now lifeless body of the bug behind, taking their lone crop back up the tree. Meanwhile, Lynn had gotten a fire going in her makeshift rotisserie, a few large silkworm pupae beside her.

The cat turned as Nick and Judy approached the plane. "Hey, y'all got the potato!" Lynn exclaimed as the fox set the potato on the ground before her.

"Yea, fought a tiger beetle while we were down there too," Nick told the cat, setting the shovel down beside the hatchet he left behind earlier.

"Another one, huh?" Lynn asked while pouring water from a canteen to the potato. "Gettin' better at hearin' 'em come up n' dealin' with 'em I reckon?"

"Still knocked him on his on tail, I was the one who got it off him," Judy remarked in a teasing tone towards Nick.

"I would've kicked it off just fine, Carrots," Nick stated with his arms crossed.

"Hey now, no need to measure y'all'selves up ta each other, teamwork is always a plus," Lynn told the pair as she finished washing the potato.

"Yea, well, same can't be said about you, Wild Cat, you wrestled a mantis without any weapons or help and ripped its arm off a week ago," Nick mentioned as he pulled out a knife from his pocket to peel the potato.

"And then you cut its head off, with the arm you ripped off," Judy added.

"Well when ya have as much experience as I do, y'all could do the same eventually," Lynn pointed out with a smile. Once all the ingredients were prepped, she cooked up a meal for the three of them.

"So, anything in mind for today?" Judy asked while nibbling down on a chunk of carrot.

"Well we went down to the river jus' two days ago, so don't rightly see any reason to do that today," Lynn replied, tapping her chin as she thought. "I reckon today we oughta jus' take it easy," Lynn added.

"Well, if it's all the same to you ladies, I'm gonna take a trip to the beach today," Nick said, taking his last bite.

Judy looked over to Nick with a puzzled look. "Why?" she asked simply, setting her food down.

"I wanted to start a bon fire," Nick answered just as simply he was asked. "Y'know, get some smoke signals going," Nick added on as he got up to get supplies from the plane.

"Want me to come with?" Judy asked, getting up herself and walking alongside her partner.

"If you want, how about you Wild Cat?" Nick asked the cat.

"Uh, not really wantin' to step down there that much, consider this trip by y'allselves as graduation!" Lynn told the pair with a smile.

"Suit yourself," Nick said with a shrug, leading Judy to the plane. "While we're there, we should check that giant S.O.S we left behind too," he suggested to his partner as he walked in to the back end of the plane.

"Yea, and maybe kill another crab while we're down there," Judy joked as she picked up the spear from Lynn's weapon box.

"I think we can take one this time," Nick told her, smirking as he himself picked out the machete.

"Or," Judy began as she looked behind her to make sure Lynn wasn't nearby. "We could try and figure out what might be out there that's scaring Lynn," she suggested.

"Hopefully you're not suggesting we go for a swim," Nick said to her, slinging the machete onto his back and packing some water and food to go.

"No, but at least, y'know, maybe catch a glimpse of what it might be," Judy said to Nick, packing her own provisions.

"Alright, yea, but let's not try to make it the priority," Nick stated as he made his way.

"Right," Judy stated in agreement.

Waving to Lynn, the pair made their way down the winding path to the road leading to the beach. They traversed the now familiar route, avoiding the areas where any potentially dangerous insects could be. Every point of interest they had passed the first time seemed to greet the two of them like old friends. Even the large hercules beetle they had met before was present, munching away at a dead plant.

Judy leapt up on top of the twisted roots, somersaulting along as Lynn did those few weeks ago. "Heh, so that's why Lynn likes doing that," she stated as she hopped about the roots.

"Don't get carried away, Carrots," Nick reminded the rabbit, vaulting over his own set of roots.

Soon enough, the pair emerged from the bush and out into the beach. A sigh left both of their lips as they looked out across the sandy shores. They even patted the palm tree they used to defeat their first crab, greeting it fondly.

"Just like how we left it, huh Carrots?" Nick said to his partner. He looked up to the tree, seeing the enormous coconuts that had saved them weeks ago. "Carrots?" he called out, realizing Judy had gone silent. The fox looked to his partner, standing not too far from him. "You ok there, Carrots?" He asked her while walking up to the rabbit, stopping once she reached behind her to grab his arm.

"Nick…look," Judy answered sternly.

Nick looked on to where Judy was staring, now finding he was staring as well. There the two stared at an object on the sand. Splayed out like a glaring stain across the pale ground. There they stood, staring upon the torn remains of a rubber life raft. Judy reluctantly made her way towards the bright orange shreds, walking beside it. From there she could recognize it better, it was unmistakable.

It was the same type of life raft that was used on the S.S. Purrseidon.


End file.
